AAP govt, L-G’s office spar over Chinese manja notification

The Delhi government accused the lieutenant governor’s office and the environment secretary of delaying the draft notification. The L-G secretariat on the other asked if the draft notification was enough to ban kite threads coated with glass and metal coated immediately, as is being claimed by the government.

Three innocent lives were lost in accidents involving Chinese manja this independence day but the authorities on Wednesday continued to pass the buck over the delay in the ban.

Relations between L-G Najeeb Jung and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal have hit a rock bottom over administrative issues.

The Delhi government accused the lieutenant governor’s office and the environment secretary of delaying the draft notification. The L-G secretariat on the other asked if the draft notification was enough to ban kite threads coated with glass and metal coated immediately, as is being claimed by the government.

The LG office said it sought an explanation from environment secretary Chandraker Bharti after deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia demanded action against the officer for the delay in issuing the draft notification banning the sale and production of glass-coated thread in Delhi.

Addressing a press conference with chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Sisodia said the file tracking note shows the Chinese manja file was with Jung for four days and the environment secretary for seven days.

Read: Killer manjha: Delhi govt bans kite-flying thread after 3 deaths in two days

“Our environment minister had cleared the file from the hospital on August 5 as he and his wife were diagnosed with dengue. The file was then sent to the L-G office. On August 9, the L-G gave his nod,” said Sisodia.

“The file tracking note shows that it was cleared from my office within 20 seconds on August 9. The chief secretary office also cleared the file the same day. The file was with environment secretary since August 10. LG needs to clarify why the delay,” the deputy CM said.

But the L-G office said it had received the file from the government on August 8, and not August 5 as being claimed by Sisodia, and sent it back to his office on August 9.

It questioned the draft notification, saying it would not have served its purpose as rules require inviting suggestions from public before issuing the final notification after 60 days.