The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) has been caught in a quagmire as the bureaucracy is reluctant to take decisions. This lack of decisiveness in every channel from top to bottom is leading to files piling up at the CMO. Important files are being sent to the CMO without any decisions. Irked at this, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has told all the bureaucrats that they are required to put specific comment on files. Officials say that bureaucrats are wary of the AAP-led Government as there is a perceptible trust deficit.
The document, accessed by The Pioneer, reveals that Kejriwal has directed the babus to cut short procedures in order to help take quick decisions for the smooth running of the Government. In a confidential note, Kejriwal pointed out that in every department, there are dealing clerks, Deputy Secretaries, Joint Secretaries and Secretaries and if a file is put up by a dealing assistant and goes upward then all the officers give their opinion but nobody clearly gives the decision. “This lack of decisiveness in every channel leads to piling up of files at the last level i.e, Chief Minister's Office,” the note said
The Chief Minister has also warned that decisions should be taken only as per rules and if the Government finds any flaw or discrepancy, the concerned official/officer would be held responsible and action will be taken against him.
“There is an urgent need to chalk out a procedure wherein we (Government) fix the responsibility of an officer/official and delegate the powers to take decisions at his own level within the existing rules and guidelines… This way we (Government) can find out whether we need more officers in the department or else we can abolish the posts, which do not have much importance and become redundant over a period of time,” the Chief Minister has observed in the confidential note
The note has been circulated to all Principal Secretaries/Secretaries, heads of departments and heads of local bodies, autonomous bodies, Boards, corporations and PSUs.
Some senior bureaucrats have stopped noting on the files after Kejriwal's allegation against senior IAS officer Shakuntala Gamlin that she was lobbying for discoms and locking of the office of Anindo Majumdar. Both Gamlin and Majumdar were targeted by the Kejriwal Government for taking important decisions at their own level.
A senior officer said on the condition of anonymity that the Chief Minister was of the view that only important files should be referred to him and his Council of Ministers. He has reportedly conveyed to his officers that files should not be placed before officers, who had no role in processing them.
When asked, another senior officer said that the entire exercise would help the Government identify departments, which have become redundant over the years so these could be closed and officers heading them either relieved or assigned some other job.
The Administrative Reforms department had earlier sent a note to various departments to follow the Chief Ministers' instructions in identifying the officers who could take decisions on respective projects or works. But many departments reportedly did not respond on time. Now the ARD has again sent a reminder to all the departments to send details about their work flow latest by June 30.