Resolution seeks permanent absorption of Assembly secretary

Delhi Assembly today adopted a resolution seeking permanent absorption of Assembly Secretary Prasanna Kumar Suryadevara even as AAP MLAs termed the order of repatriation of the officer as "illegal" and an attempt to "dilute powers of the legislature".
Speaker Ram Niwas Goel appealed to Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu to relieve Suryadevara from his parent organisation, Prasar Bharti, and said that he would seek cooperation from Parliament and his other state counterparts.
Last week, Prasar Bharati directed Suryadevara to join his parent organisation immediately failing which he will be treated to be on "unauthorised absence".
Suryadevara, originally an officer of Newsreader-cum- Translator (Telugu) cadre, was appointed to the post of Delhi Assembly Secretary last July for a year.

Goel had requested Prasar Bharati to extend his stay as Assembly Secretary.
However, Prasar Bharati expressed inability to extend the deputation and asked the Delhi government to repatriate him, saying it was in dire need of experienced professionals.

The matter was raised by AAP legislator Alka Lamba.
The transfer of Suryavedara was overruled by Goel, citing the May 31, 2016 order of the services department that extended his term for two years.
The Speaker said the officer was transferred despite that fact he wrote to the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting twice, on August 18 and 28. Goel said he even approached Delhi LG Najeeb Jung to discuss the issue, but he refused to give an audience.

The resolution adopted by the House said it "treats the intrusion of the Administrator into the matters of Legislative functioning as a serious affront to the authority of the Speaker and the sovereign rights of the people of Delhi who have elected the Legislative Assembly".
It also warned "the Administrator to desist from such autocratic, undemocratic and unconstitutional moves in future".
"I appeal I&B minister to allow his absorption. I will also take up the issue with Lok Sabha Speaker and Rajya Sabha chairman besides the Speakers of other state assemblies," Goel said.
During the short discussion on the issue, Lamba accused the LG of transferring the secretary on advise of the leader of opposition Vijender Gupta as he (secretary) was presiding over several assembly committees, one of which was also exploring legal options to summon the LG.

Gupta, however, rejected the charge even as he accused the treasury benches of "spoiling the career of the officer just to derive political mileage of the transfer which has been as per the rules".