Delhi Assembly panel to verify DIP director's claims

Members of a Delhi Assembly committee will verify physically the claims of the director of information and publicity department that "adequate" number of hoardings have been put up as part of the awareness campaign on dengue and chikungunya.
Members of the Standing Committee of Finance and Transport will physically inspect hoarding sites spreading awareness about vector-borne diseases, sources said.
This comes a week after Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had sought the removal of Directorate of Information and Publicity (DIP) Director Jayadev Sarangi for not following his directions to launch the awareness campaign.
Sources said, in the meeting, Sarangi apprised the Committee that hoardings have been installed at 300 locations across the city.

They said information pertaining to hoardings has also been submitted to offices of the Lt Governor, the Deputy Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary.
"The Committee has decided that its members will inspect 300 hoarding sites in next three-four days to verify claims of the DIP director," a member of the Committee said.

However, the member said that 300 hoardings across the city were not sufficient for the campaign.
In a letter to Lt Governor Anil Baijal last week, Sisodia had sought action against Sarangi for "not following" his direction to launch awareness campaign about chikungunya and dengue in the city.

In the letter, Sisodia had said that Sarangi was directed on May 25 to place hoardings and run a campaign for creating awareness about dengue and chikungunya, but he has not done anything till now.
"I do not understand what are the compulsions for not replacing such an incompetent officer. I again urge the Lt Governor to either replace him with a more sincere officer or get the campaign on dengue/chikungunya done from him," Sisodia had said.