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New Indian Express
28-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
AAP MLAs barred from PAC meet
NEW DELHI: Amid allegations of disruptive behaviour by AAP MLAs during a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta has asked them to withdraw from the next sitting. The Speaker has said that if opposition members refused to follow the direction, they may be removed from the sitting. The PAC was constituted to examine the CAG reports tabled in the Vidhan Sabha earlier in March. Its members include BJP MLAs Ajay Mahawar (Chairman), Arvinder Singh Lovely, Kailash Gahlot, Raj Kumar Chauhan, Satish Upadhyay, and Shikha Rai. AAP MLAs—Leader of Opposition Atishi, Kuldeep Kumar, and Virendra Singh Kadiyan—are also part of the panel. PAC Chairman Ajay Mahawar alleged disruptions and violent behaviour by opposition members, including LoP Atishi, during the last committee sitting in a written complaint. It was also noted that during the first sitting on May 22, the AAP members—led by Atishi—questioned the committee's authority to examine CAG reports in light of the GNCTD (Amendment) Act, 2021. They demanded the Law Department's opinion before the proceedings could continue. This confrontation is part of a broader debate over the scope and authority of Assembly Committees following the 2021 amendment. Responding to Atishi's letter dated May 6, Speaker Gupta defended the amendments, stating they were essential due to past misuse of committee powers. He asserted that while committees must operate within legal boundaries, they retain sufficient authority under the Constitution and Assembly Rules, including the power to examine all CAG reports. In his communication, he said Assembly Committees play a critical role in ensuring accountability and transparency in governance, and 'their powers cannot be nullified by administrative interpretations.'
Hindustan Times
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Delhi CM empowers district committees to fast-track development
In a renewed push for decentralised governance and accelerated development, Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Monday chaired a review meeting with all 11 district magistrates (DMs) and the newly reconstituted district development committees (DDCs) — grassroots monitoring bodies headed by MLAs — to streamline local infrastructure and public service delivery. Officials from the chief minister's office said the focus of the meeting was to ensure better coordination between elected representatives and administrative departments, and to enhance the implementation of government schemes and projects at the local level. Earlier this month, Gupta nominated 11 MLAs — eight from the BJP and three from the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) — as DDC chairpersons, directing all relevant government officials, including those from the revenue department, to mandatorily attend DDC meetings and provide full support to the committees. The move is aimed at reinvigorating district level governance and ensuring elected MLAs have a greater say in shaping developmental priorities within their constituencies. 'During the previous AAP government, the DDCs existed but they were largely inactive because the government was not focused on development,' said BJP MLA Ajay Mahawar, who now chairs the DDC for north-east Delhi. 'CM Gupta has empowered the DDCs and they will monitor the implementation of development works and government policies. It is a form of decentralisation of power, and the DDC will get the issues faced by the people fixed.' DDCs operate at the district level and are chaired by the MLA representing the area. The committees also include other MLAs from the district, the DM, and senior officials from departments such as the MCD, Delhi Jal Board, PWD, education, transport, and health. They are mandated to meet once every month to review progress on development works and address public grievances. In the third week of May, the CM reconstituted the DDCs, nominating BJP MLAs Ajay Mahawar (north-east), Gajendra Yadav (south), and Shikha Roy (New Delhi), among others. From AAP, Sanjeev Jha has been appointed chairperson of the Central district DDC. The DDCs are constituted annually, with chairpersons nominated by the chief minister for a term of one year. CM Gupta also issued strict instructions for administrative support to DDCs, stating that all designated officers from departments concerned must be present at DDC meetings. 'Any officer found absent without valid justification will face disciplinary action. Serving the people is our foremost duty, and the entire administrative machinery must be responsive, sensitive, and accountable,' she said. As reported by HT on May 24, Gupta also announced plans to establish 'mini-secretariats' in each of the city's 11 districts to consolidate key government services under one roof. She has directed all DMs to identify suitable land and submit proposals for the same. 'During the previous government, revenue offices were ignored—neither basic infrastructure was provided, nor were citizen services prioritised. Such negligence will no longer be tolerated. 'Mini secretariats' will be established in all districts of Delhi, where citizens will be able to access services such as revenue, public grievances, registration, certificates, and licences under one roof,' she said in a statement. 'These mini secretariats will serve as a major step toward providing swift and integrated public services at the local level.' To enhance citizen feedback and accountability, Gupta also instructed all DMs to install complaint boxes at DM, SDM, and sub-registrar offices. Residents will be able to submit handwritten complaints in these boxes, which will be monitored and evaluated directly by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).
