Annoyed by the absence of officers, a fuming Urban Development Minister Madan Kaushik cancelled the meeting he convened to review the Kumbh Mela preparations. It is learnt that many secretaries holding important departments skipped the meeting which infuriated the minister and they sent their juniors in the meeting.
After cancelling the meeting, Kauhsik who also is the state government spokesperson called the chief secretary Utpal Kumar Singh over the phone and expressed his displeasure at absence of officers from such an important meeting. The minister was peeved because his office had prepared the draft of the meeting in advance and informed the departments concerned.
The meeting was earlier scheduled to be held at Haridwar but for the convenience of senior officers, it was decided to hold the meeting in the state secretariat. It should be mentioned here that there is considerable dissatisfaction among the locals in Haridwar due to the pace of the Kumbh Mela works.
The public sentiment deteriorated following the collapse of a wall at Har ki Paidi on Tuesday.Later talking to the media persons, Kaushik said that the meeting was suspended because information about the meeting failed to reach the officers in time.
In the meeting issues like underground power cables, gas pipelines, drinking water, and sewage and road construction were on the agenda.Later, the chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat directed the chief secretary to ensure that departmental secretaries are present in meetings called by ministers. In case they are unable to attend a meeting, they should inform the minister’s personal secretary on time, said Rawat.
It is pertinent to mention here that recently the CS Utpal Kumar Singh had asked the officers to give due respect to elected representatives.