Budget session: Members rue officials’ apathy to their letters, Speaker promises panel

The Bihar assembly Monday witnessed uproarious scenes after members cutting across parry lines raised the issue of administrative apathy to their letters and queries.

Less than four months after the Bihar government reminded its top officials about the need to be respectful towards the members of Parliament and state legislature and respond timely to their correspondences, the state assembly Monday witnessed uproarious scenes after members cutting across parry lines raised the issue of administrative apathy to their letters and queries.

Legislators of RJD, CPI-ML and AIMIM demonstrate outside the Bihar Assembly on Monday. (Santosh Kumar/HT Photo)

Despite parliamentary affairs minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary’s reply to a question from CPI-ML’s Ram Bali Singh Yadav during the Question Hour that the government would take action against any official who is specifically named by the members, members were not satisfied and they sought the intervention of the Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha.

“I have written over 100 letters, but there is never any specific answer to the queries raised,” Yadav said.

RJD’s Alok Mehta, Congress’s Vijay Shankar Dubey and several others also stood up, wanting the Speaker to intervene. Mehta wanted a committee of the House be formed to monitor replies to legislators’ letters and fix accountability on the erring officials.

At this, the Speaker said that he would soon set up a protocol committee for the purpose.

A letter from the general administrative department (GAD) to all the top state officials in November last year had cited the “warrant of precedence” to underline that the members of Parliament are above department secretaries in hierarchy and at any function they must be provided place ahead of secretaries and MLAs just after them.

“Despite issuing guidelines from time to time for officers conduct with the MPs and legislators, complaints have been received regarding lack of action on their correspondence as per laid down provisions. If the guidelines are not followed, proper investigation on complaints should be carried out for action against the erring officials,” the letter had said.

During another question on Monday, legislators cutting across party lines once again stood up demanding that they be allowed to use their funds for construction of boundary walls around graveyards, cremation sites and temples. Minister in-charge for home, Bijendra Prasad Yadav, said the construction of boundary wall around graveyards was done as per sensitivity assessed by a committee comprising district magistrate, SP and others and the MLAs could use their fund for the listed projects only.

With the members again seeking protection from the Speaker, Sinha asked the government to look into their demands and give its reply during the present session only.