Notification will clear air on governance in Delhi: Jaitley

May 22, 2015 03:30 pm | Updated November 29, 2021 01:12 pm IST - New Delhi

The Centre on Friday said the Home Ministry’s notification on allocation of powers in Delhi would “remove” all confusion regarding governance in the national capital and help the AAP government run the city efficiently.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also made it clear that the row over distribution of powers in Delhi was not a political issue but a constitutional one.

“The circular issued by the Home Ministry is a clarificatory note... We do not want that due to confusion offices get locked,” he said at a press conference.

In a gazette notification issued on Friday, the Union Home Ministry said the LG will have jurisdiction over matters connected with services, public order, police and land and he may consult with the Chief Minister whenever he thinks necessary in issues of services using his own “discretion”.

“The administrative structure of Delhi according to the Constitution, Article 239 AA, has been made in such a way that there are many powers which are with the elected government of Delhi... So the elected government in Delhi has a large number of powers. There are some powers which are reserved with the central government and that provisions too are clearly written in the Constitution,” Mr. Jaitley said.

The gazette notification said the Union Territory cadre consisting of IAS, IPS service personnel is common to Union Territories of Delhi, Chandigarh, Andaman and Nicobar islands, Lakshadweep, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Puducherry and states of Arunachal Pradesh, Goa and Mizoram which is administered by the central government through the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Similarly, DANICS and DANIPS officers are common services calling to the requirement of the Union Territories of Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Andaman and Nicobar islands, Lakshadweep and NCT of Delhi which is also administered by the central government through the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Jung-Kejriwal turf war intensifies

Fact files

  • »May 18, 2015: AAP appointed senior bureaucrat Arvind Ray as Principal Secretary (General Administration) bypassing Najeeb Jung.
  • »May 19, 2015: Jung asserts that he was the sole authority in matters of ordering transfer and posting of bureaucrats.
  • »May 19, 2015: Kejriwal and Jung separately met the President while accusing each other of breaking the fine balance of jurisdictions.
  • »May 20, 2015: Jung cancelled all appointments made by the Delhi government.
  • »May 20, 2015: The Centre asked Najeeb Jung and Arvind Kejriwal to sit together and find a solution to the ongoing turf war.
  • »May 20, 2015: Congress accused AAP and BJP of “deliberately” creating a “constitutional crisis”.
  • >

    Kejriwal, Jung take their fight to President

    Jung reportedly apprised Mr. Mukherjee of the stand-off, while maintaining that he had the power to appoint and transfer officers.

  • >

    Delhi battle intensifies as Jung cancels Kejriwal’s appointments

    Kejriwal wrote to Mr. Jung questioning his move. He wanted to know under what provisions the Lieutenant-Governor had exercised his authority.

  • >

    Kejriwal ups ante against Lieutenant-Governor Jung

    Acting Chief Secretary Shakuntala D. Gamlin was appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor’s office despite the objections of the AAP government.

  • >

    Kejriwal-Jung impasse: The battle is for statehood

    At the core of the current impasse between the Lieutenant-Governor and the Delhi Government is an issue which has the potential to transform the political climate of the Capital forever, insiders say.

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