Day after Speaker's complaint, Delhi govt asks officers to promptly respond to MPs, MLAs
Speaker Vijender Gupta had said that government officers were ignoring calls and messages from MLAs.
A day after the Delhi assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta flagged a section of officers' non-responsive behaviour, the government has directed officers to promptly respond to communications from MPs and MLAs and warned them of disciplinary action if they failed to do so.
"The matter has been viewed seriously by the chief secretary," said a circular issued by the General Administration Department (GAD) of the Delhi government.
It added that the government has issued comprehensive instructions regarding engagement and protocols while dealing with MLAs and MPs.
"There should be no occasion that MLAs or Members of Parliament are constrained to make such complaints. Non-compliance to these instructions will invite commensurate disciplinary action and will be an important input in the evaluation of the officer concerned," the circular noted, according to PTI.
The circular also shared a standard operating procedure (SOP) regarding official dealings of administration and MPs and MLAs, prepared by the GAD in 2020.
What Vijender Gupta wrote
On Thursday, Speaker Vijender Gupta said that government officers were ignoring calls and messages from MLAs, calling the issue “serious.”
He had urged chief secretary Dharmendra to “sensitise” bureaucrats about the protocols they must follow when dealing with elected representatives, as reported by Hindustan Times.
“A few instances have been brought to my notice where the communications of the Hon’ble Members in the form of letters, phone calls, or messages have not even been acknowledged by the concerned officer," Gupta’s letter, dated March 19, a copy of which has been seen by HT, said.
"This is a serious matter, and I think there is an urgent need to reiterate the government instructions issued in this regard by the general administration department, Government of NCT of Delhi, and the department of personnel and training, Government of India, from time to time.”
