A large number of AAP MlAs have complained to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia that they are not being attended to properly by the heads of various departments who allegedly made them wait outside their offices for long hours to get their works done. The legislators have also complained that many HoDs and senior officials were not even attending their calls and as a result of which they could not get the development works done in their respective constituencies. However, the officers say that majority of the complaints of the MlAs are without any reason and substance.
The matter was highlighted recently at a meeting of the HoDs, in which the Deputy Chief Minister gave standing instructions to his officers to give due respect to the legislators as per the protocol. He also directed his officers to give appointments to the MlAs within a reasonable time and try to resolve issues raised them on a priority in the interest of the service to the people of Delhi.
The main reason being cited by officers for not attending to the AAP MlAs was the mistrust that the Government had created with the senior bureaucrats. The Arvind Kejriwal Government had locked horns on a host of issues, including transfer and postings of senior IAS officers, with lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung. Kejriwal and Sisodia had even raised these issues with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Kejriwal had even accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of interfering in the running of the city administration. But the Centre had stuck to its guns by time and again stating that it would only follow the Transaction of Business Rules as Delhi did not enjoy the status of full statehood and had to be administered at par with other Union Territories.
A senior officer said that he was tired of receiving calls at odd-hours from the AAP MlAs. “One MlA even complained about his area SHO for not getting an FIR registered of a person residing in his constituency. When I told the MlA that the police were not under his jurisdiction, he said then why I was drawing my salary from the Centre.”
Another IAS officer said that one MlA has time and again been calling him to get a road repaired in his constituency. “When I told him that he should approach the PWD for getting his road repaired, he shouted back saying all IAS officers were working hand-in-glove with the BJP Government at the Centre.”
They also discussed in detail about the meetings being held by the HoDs to redress the grievances of the public. It was unanimously decided in the meeting that all Principal Secretaries, Secretaries and HoDs should be available in their offices to meet general public between 12 noon and 1 pm on every working day, except for Wednesday. The HoDs were told to attend to the public grievances and resolve the same on a priority. The Deputy CM also told his officers that they could extend the timings of the public-interaction as and when required by 30 minutes. The officers were told that if they were not able to attend these meetings, they should designate their senior most officers to redress public grievances.