Delhi minister issues dos, don'ts for nominated officers

Delhi minister Kailash Gahlot has issued a list of dos and don'ts to the officers of the departments that are under him for attending meetings of boards, corporations, societies, statutory and non-statutory or private bodies to which they have been nominated.
Gahlot, who holds the charge of law, transport, revenue, administrative reforms and IT in the Delhi government, has directed officers to seek from him the government's view on each agenda point of such bodies' meetings before attending them.
He has also issued a standing order that if the official nominee cannot attend a meeting, he or she will seek approval from the minister-in-charge for the same.

The order came just before the hike in Delhi metro fare on October 10.
Following the fare hike, the AAP government accused Chief Secretary M M Kutty, who is also the government's nominee in the DMRC's board, of trying to "sabotage" its stand against the controversial fare revision.
In his order, Gahlot said, "Before the meeting, (officers will) seek on each agenda point, the view of the Government of NCT of Delhi from the respective minister-in-charge.

"If the official nominee is not in a position to attend any meeting, he/she shall seek approval from minister-in- charge for the same," the order stated.

He said that after returning from those meetings, the official nominee would submit a written report to the minister-in-charge on the proceedings within two days.
Gahlot said that this order, which has been issued under Rule 15 of Transaction of Business Rules, has to be complied to strictly.
Before the metro fare hike, the minister had written to DMRC Managing Director Mangu Singh, nominated by the Delhi government, that he is expected to put forward the view of the city government in the board meeting.
The AAP government had been opposing the metro fare hike, which came into effect from October 10, with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal terming the move as "anti-people".

The 70-member Delhi Assembly, dominated by AAP legislators, had also passed a resolution opposing the metro fare hike.