Panel to look into non-answering of MLAs' questions by services dept

New Delhi: The Delhi Assembly formed a three-member committee on Tuesday to look into the matter of non-answering of legislators' questions by the services department and sought a report in 48 hours.

The move came after a discussion on the topic — 'Situation arising out of the unconstitutional working of the services department which is refusing to even reply to the Assembly and its committees" — in the House on the second day of the monsoon session.

"I form a three-member committee to give a report in 48 hours after looking into why replies are not being given by the services department to the questions of MLAs asked in the Assembly," Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla said.

She said the members of the committee will be AAP legislators Rajesh Gupta, Atishi and Somnath Bharti.

Birla said the future course of action will be decided after the committee submits its report on Thursday. The two-day monsoon session of the Delhi Assembly began on Monday.

Initiating discussion on the matter, AAP MLAs Saurabh Bhardwaj, Rajesh Gupta and Raj Kumari Dhillon alleged the services department did not give replies to questions asked by MLAs in the Assembly and also not to House committees.

They claimed that not providing replies to the questions of legislators and Assembly committees by the department was "unconstitutional".