A day after Delhi Vigilance Minister Atishi directed Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to take action against Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) officials allegedly asking for bribes and submit a report within a week, Kumar who is also the Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO), formed a committee of senior officials from various departments to inspect the offices of the SDM, Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Tahsildar and the Engineering Department. The committee will recommend how to improve the functioning of these offices keeping in mind the procedural changes required for the ‘Ease of Doing Business (EODB)’ and simplification of processes and applicable laws.

The committee members are AK Singh, Principal Secretary, Environment & Forests Department, Dilraj Kaur, Secretary-cum-Commissioner, Food and Civil Supplies Department, Ashok Kumar, Secretary, Education Department and Buniyad Singh, Assistant Director, Vigilance Department. The committee will inspect the process followed by these offices and submit its report in the next 20 days.

“The committee will study the processes followed in the above-mentioned offices, and make recommendations for identification and implementation of systematic improvement measures like procedural changes required in these departments for EODB and simplification of processes and applicable laws, leveraging of information technology to make the processes faceless in a time-bound manner, including introduction of blockchain technology in such processes, effective implementation of e-Courts, effective monitoring processes, including mechanism for inspections of such offices along with frequency and level of such inspections, capacity building programs and any other suggestion the Committee would like to make to improve the transparency and efficiency in these offices,” the order said.

It further added that the committee may co-opt any other officer of the GNCTD for this purpose and secretariat assistance to the committee will be provided by the Vigilance Department. The committee will submit its recommendations to the CS-cum-CVO by September 11.

On Monday, Vigilance Minister Atishi in a communication to  Kumar, asked that a team be formed comprising senior IAS and DANICS officers to inspect the SDM offices.

“This team should visit all SDM offices within the next week and conduct an on-site inspection to uncover any instances of corrupt practices,” she said. Atishi added that people complained during public hearings that some officials were demanding bribes to expedite their work related to various certificates issued by the Revenue Department.