Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has pulled up his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs and officers in the Delhi government for not being accessible to people.
In letters sent to all MLAs on Wednesday, Mr. Kejriwal reminded them that it was decided in the last meeting of the AAP legislative party that MLAs would be available to meet visitors at their offices between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. on all weekdays.
Pointing out that most MLAs were doing so, the Chief Minister added that he hoped the remaining legislators would follow suit.
Mr. Kejriwal also said that there had been complaints from some areas about MLAs who had never visited. The AAP government’s work had been appreciated by all, but people still wanted to meet the MLAs they had voted for, Mr. Kejriwal said.
Referring to the last meeting of the AAP legislative party, Mr. Kejriwal said it was decided that all MLAs would meet people in their constituencies every day, or at least on the weekend. He said this decision had not been implemented fully.
‘Prepare plans’
Further, he instructed all MLAs to prepare plans of the areas they would visit and submit these by Sunday. He expressed hoped that all MLAs would visit each colony in their constituency within two months.
Acting tough on the officials, the Chief Minister pulled them up for not adhering to an earlier order asking them to meet members of the public every weekday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. without appointments. The initiative was started from June 1, but has not been implemented in all government offices.
Boards outside offices
In a written communication to Chief Secretary M.M. Kutty, Mr. Kejriwal said he had been informed that many officers were not complying with his earlier directive. He has now asked the Chief Secretary to “issue a strict warning to all officers that anyone violating these instructions will face disciplinary action”.
In order to fully implement the plan, Mr. Kejriwal said that small boards should be put up outside offices, stating that the officials concerned would be available without appointments between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. on working days. A board declaring the same has been put up outside the Delhi Secretariat already.
In case the officer is not available, complaints can be lodged by calling a special helpline number mentioned on the boards. Mr. Kejriwal said that all calls made to the helpine should be recorded, with the transcriptions to be sent to him daily. He has also asked the Chief Secretary to monitor the complaints and take action against “delinquent officials”.
“This step is extremely critical to make the government accessible. Any violation would be viewed very seriously,” the Chief Minister wrote.
