Amid the ongoing tussle between the elected dispensation of Delhi and the Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) over governance, the AAP-led Delhi Government on Thursday accused bureaucrats of halting several flagship projects of the Arvind Kejriwal Government including Mohalla Clinics, the Delhi Food Truck Policy, Dilli Bazaar, constitution of a Haj Committee and the Winter Action Plan.
The AAP Government sources said that these projects have been halted as bureaucrats, who report to L-G VK Saxena, have started ignoring the Government’s directives.
Sources said that the payment for electricity, rent, lab tests and doctors salaries for all Mohalla Clinics in Delhi were not made for three months just before municipal elections in December based on oral and informal directions of the L-G.
“As a result, Delhi Government Finance and Health departments started raising frivolous objections to delay payments and patients visiting Mohalla Clinics suffered.
When the Finance Minister summoned the Finance Secretary to resolve the issue, the Finance Secretary neither attended any of the meetings called by the Finance Minister nor responded to his telephone calls or messages,” they said.“In a span of just five months, 20 meetings were called by the Minister (Environment and Forests) to discuss crucial subjects such as the Winter Pollution Action Plan for Delhi.
Of these, only one meeting was attended by the head of Environment and Forests Department, and the rest were skipped without explanation,” they said.“There are several examples of flagship initiatives of the AAP Government being stopped by pressurising officers, such as to set up a research centre on diabetes of international standards at GTB Hospital, free yoga classes for 17,000 people daily, an ongoing program that has suddenly and abruptly been refused extension after November 2022,” they said.
“The Government provides financial assistance to SC students preparing for competitive exams. Their payments are not being released by officers, stalling the entire initiative. Payments have also been stopped to contractors of the water and sewer department, resulting in many critical projects coming to a standstill,” sources claimed.
“When the file was sent to the L-G with names of the newly-constituted Haj Committee, he changed the names suggested by the CM and sent the file directly to the officers and got the notification issued,” they said.“The online e-commerce portal was conceptualized by the DDC during the Corona pandemic and will be a boon to lakhs of small traders and shopkeepers of Delhi by enabling them to go online for free. The initiative was announced as part of the Rozgar Budget in March 2022.
The detailed tender/RFP for this was prepared by the DDC and submitted to the Industries Department in July 2022.
However, even after five months, these tender documents haven't been floated by officers of the Industry Department,” sources said.
“Delhi’s Electronic City is to be set up in 82 acres of land in Baprola and is estimated to generate 40,000 jobs. After multiple stakeholder consultations and research, DDC had drafted and submitted a detailed blueprint for the Delhi Electronics Policy to the Industries Department through Deputy Chief Minister on October 12, 2022.
However, even after three months, officers of Industry Department are yet to even review the detailed policy prepared by DDC or submit the final policy for the approval of the concerned Minister and the Cabinet,” they said.
“The Delhi Food Truck Policy was announced in the month of March 2022. A draft policy was to be submitted for the approval of the Minister and the Cabinet in July 2022. But even after seven months, no proposal has been moved by the Tourism Department,” sources added.