Delhi secretariat abuzz with activity once again

NEW DELHI: For a change, the Delhi Secretariat on Tuesday buzzed with activity not because of protests and counter-protests, but because ministers and officers gathered to work together — something that had been missing for the past four months.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and PWD minister Satyendar Jain, who had been on a hunger strike as part of the sit-in at lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal’s office led by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal since June 13 and June 12 respectively, resumed work on Tuesday straight after being released from the hospital.

They, along with labour minister Gopal Rai, had been part of the protest from the visitors’ room of the L-G office demanding Baijal’s intervention in clearing the standoff between the bureaucracy and the political executive.

The standoff, which emerged after chief secretary Anshu Prakash accused Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators of assaulting him in the presence of Kejriwal, was eased out as bureaucrats on Tuesday began attending meetings called by social welfare minister Rajendra Pal Gautam, transport minister Kailash Gahlot and food and civil supplies minister Imran Hussain.

Chief secretary Anshu Prakash, too, attended one meeting held by Gautam to resolve land and civic work issues in east Delhi. Divisional commissioner Manisha Saxena, who has been at the forefront of the protest led by bureaucrats, attended two meetings, Sisodia said.

In total, six IAS officers were called for meetings on Tuesday and all of them attended, the deputy CM said.

Files on circle rates of agricultural land and giving out caste certificates to separated mothers, were among some work that were cleared on Tuesday. In transport, Gahlot conducted a meeting to discuss the fate of the 2000 standard-floor buses which were to be procured, but now faces a stay from the high court. Transport commissioner Varsha Joshi attended this meeting.

On Wednesday, a number of meetings from ranging from PWD to environment ministries are lined up. Sisodia, too, has scheduled three meetings. While Kejriwal called the development only a “small victory”, Sisodia said, “I wanted to tell you that most issues that were stuck due to the strike have been resolved today.” When asked about getting the file on doorstep delivery of services cleared by the L-G, Sisodia said there was no point sitting at his office and hoping Baijal would do something about it as he had not responded to them until Tuesday afternoon.

“We will follow it up from the Secretariat now and will present our case once again,” he said.

Asked about officers’ demand to hold meeting with Kejriwal over their “safety and dignity”, Sisodia said, “Our meetings with the officers will be conducted on a daily basis.