Officers start attending minister’s meetings

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 18

Amid a prevailing deadlock between the Delhi government and its IAS officers, a meeting, convened by Environment Minister Imran Hussain to review the capital’s ambient air quality status, was attended by senior officers of Environment Department and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) today.

During the meeting, Secretary (Environment) and Special Secretary (Environment) were also present. After the meeting, Hussain noted that joint efforts of department and other land owning agencies have yielded desired results which have helped in improving Delhi’s air quality.

Hussain, who also holds the Food and Civil Supplies portfolio in the city government, also rescheduled meeting on ration due to non-availability of Food Commissioner.

Due to the absence of the Food Commissioner at the meeting without any intimation, the minister directed rescheduling of the meeting for tomorrow, said a senior official.

The minister had called the meeting to review the status of availability of ration at the Fair Price Shops and for distribution of ration to eligible ration cardholders for June.

IAS officers open to talk as CM assures security

Hours after the IAS association responded positively to Chief Minister (CM) Arvind Kejriwal’s assurance to them of ensuring their safety, saying they are open to formal discussions with the CM.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today asked the IAS officers of the Delhi government to call off their “strike” and said that taking an initiative, Kejriwal has assured safety to them and now it is the turn and the responsibility of the Centre and bureaucrats’ to respond.

Responding to the tweet by the bureaucrats' association, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, who was today shifted to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital after his condition deteriorated, said “Happy for discussions with our officers. Delhi government is committed to provide safe and secure environment. However, LG is head of both “services and security”. So meeting should take place in his presence so that assurances related to those subjects be taken.”

Sisodia and Health Minister Satyendra Jain, who have been hospitalised followed by their hunger strike, are currently stable. CPI leader and Rajya Sabha MP D Raja joined by his wife Annie Raja today visited them in the hospital and extended support. Prior to Raja, Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav met them at the hospital and requested the Centre and the LG to end the stalemate in the capital.

In his appeal to officers, which Kejriwal posted on Twitter, he wrote: “The officers are part of my family. I would urge them to stop their boycott of elected government, return to work now and start attending all meetings of ministers, respond to their calls and messages and join them for field inspections.”

The CM further noted they should work “without fear or pressure and not come under the pressures from any source, be it from the state government or the Centre or any political party”.

The IAS association yesterday rubbished the ruling party’s claims about they being on strike and justified the skipping of some crucial meetings, without mentioning the details, by some officers with apprehensions of safety and security in the wake of the alleged attack on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash.

AAP leader Sanjay Singh said yesterday the AAP held protest in which a large number of people participated. He said the march was a message that Delhi is in difficulty and suffering due to problems related to water, ration and pollution and warned of a bigger agitation if required. “With no solution people will take to streets,” he asserted.