Separate field inspections launched by Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena and the elected Aam Aadmi Party government to identify and fix governance issues in Delhi are keeping the city’s officialdom on tenterhooks.
After taking charge on May 26, the L-G has visited at least 10 locations to familiarise himself with issues confronting the city. Not to be left behind, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has inspected around half a dozen projects last week. Both are planning more field visits in the coming days.
AAP has already accused Mr. Saxena of overstretching his Constitutional powers and encroaching upon those of the government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, while the L-G’s office has refused to be drawn into a public spat with the elected government citing norms of office.
Publicly, however, the L-G and the CM have jointly vouched for “better coordination” to be able to effectively address the city’s issues. “We will meet every Friday at 4 or 4.30 p.m. to discuss and then address problems being faced by Delhi. We will work together for the city over the coming days,” Mr. Kejriwal said on Friday after a meeting with Mr. Saxena.
First day, first visit
The L-G made his first field visit within hours of taking charge — travelling between his office-cum-residence at Raj Niwas and Connaught Place in central Delhi, followed by a visit to the airport during which he identified horticulture and maintenance issues among others.
Mr. Kejriwal began his own back-to-back field visits this week when he inspected the road being upgraded between Britannia Chowk and Outer Ring Road on Tuesday, and the Coronation Waste Water Treatment Plant on Wednesday. On Thursday, he visited the Sarai Kale Khan Automated Driving Testing Track and on Friday, he inspected an STP in Rohini.
The Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues have not only begun making field visits but, according to government sources, also drawn up an itinerary of such inspections in the next few weeks.
Plan for future
Sources said Mr. Kejriwal had earlier this week convened a special meeting with his Ministers and discussed the itinerary of the visits till July 15.
The plan, which has been accessed by The Hindu, details programmes spread over 34 days — between May 31 and July 15 — with the exclusion of Sundays, public holidays and days when the CM is scheduled to be out of the city.
Each visit, for which the government departments concerned have been directed to make arrangements in time, will be divided into two parts — Mr. Kejriwal, accompanied by a Minister, will inspect a site during the first half of the day and another Minister will repeat the exercise in the second half.
The projects to be inspected include road beautification, land meant for a residential school announced in the budget, a consumer court, a Weights and Measures Department lab, a biomedical waste plant, an additional industrial area and a slum cluster, among others.
Each visit, for which the government departments concerned have been directed to make arrangements in time, will be divided into two parts — the Chief Minister, accompanied by a Minister, will inspect a site during the first half of the day and another Minister will repeat the exercise in the second half.
The projects and initiatives to be inspected include road beautification drives, land meant for a residential school announced in the budget, a visit to a consumer court, a Weights and Measures Department lab, a bio-medical waste plant, an extra industrial area and a slum cluster among others.
