Bric a Brac : Kejriwal strikes again

THE relationship between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and civil servants serving in the Delhi Government is said to be rocky, even acrimonious. The behaviour of Kejriwal for last two years indicates that he does not trust UT-cadre IAS officers. Even the officers are feeling suffocated and finding all means to run away from the Delhi government. There are innumerable instances where Kejriwal knowing or unknowingly humiliated even senior-most officers of Delhi Government. In December 2015, the Delhi Andaman Nicobar Services (DANICS) officers had gone on a mass leave, protesting against the suspension of two special home secretaries. Kejriwal’s pattern allegedly is to humiliate the officers or transfer them to insignificant posts where there is no work at all. Some senior IAS officers told gfiles that the atmosphere in Delhi government is frustrating and officers don’t know where to go and whom to complain to. Take the case of IAS officer Keshav Chandra, Delhi’s Environment Secretary, who has been playing a crucial role in battling air pollution in the Capital. He has been transferred out of the State government and posted as Joint Secretary (logistics) in the commerce department. Chandra, as Delhi Jal Board’s CEO, was reported to be at loggerheads with the Kejriwal government. In July, the privilege committee of the assembly had summoned him in connection with a case related to irregularities in the tendering process of 14 sewage treatment plants along the Yamuna. In the meeting, Chandra is learnt to have had heated arguments with the committee members. However, during the pollution crisis, Chandra played a crucial role as he coordinated with various departments in dealing with the emergency. On November 20, the central Personnel and Training Department issued an order of transfers of senior IAS officers in which Chandra was asked to move to the Ministry of Commerce. Chandra’s departure follows the recent transfer of PWD Principal Secretary Ashwini Kumar, who too was in Kejriwal’s line of fire. The paradox is that even the Home Ministry, the cadre controlling body, is a mute spectator to the deteriorating condition of Delhi administration.

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