Kejriwal gets cracking, Srivastava set to be CS
12 Feb 2015 12:29 AM GMT
Chief Minister-designate Arvind Kejriwal is a man in a hurry. The AAP chief is getting ready to ring in the changes in the top bureaucratic echelons.
It seems almost certain that 1980 batch IAS officer Sanjay Kumar Srivastava is likely to be reinstated as the Chief Secretary. Srivastava is currently holding the post of chairman of Delhi Finance Commission. Present Chief Secretary D M Spolia retired on 31 January but got one month extension in view of Delhi Assembly polls. Rajendra Kumar, a 1989 batch IAS officer, is likely to get a second stint as Principal Secretary in Chief Minister’s office. Rajendra Kumar is presently working as secretary in Delhi government’s Urban Development department.
Srivastava suffered the ignominy of being unceremoniously shunted out when President’s Rule was imposed in the state. He was trying hard to get a central deputation but his perceived proximity to Kejriwal ensured he was ignored by seniors and the powers that be. Meanwhile, Kejriwal on Wednesday, directed the incumbent Chief Secretary Spolia to prepare a roadmap for implementation of AAP’s 70-point manifesto which includes 50 per cent cut in power tariffs, free wi-fi across the city and installation of 10-15 lakh CCTV cameras.
Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said “clear cut” instructions have been given to all the departments to prepare presentations on how the promises mentioned in the manifesto could be implemented. The Chief Secretary met Kejriwal at the Vithal Bhai Patel House here.
“We had called the Chief Secretary and handed over to him the 70-point AAP manifesto and sought a road map by February 19 by respective departments to implement it,” Sisodia said.
The former Minister said departments concerned have been asked to submit “firefighting plans” to improve supply of power and water. Instructions have been given to Food and Supplies Department to ensure adequate availability of vegetables and fruits in May and June when prices go up.
“During the summer, there is crisis of power and water.
Also the prices of vegetables and fruits increase because of which people of Delhi suffer. So we have asked him for firefighting plans to deal with these major issues,” he said.
In its manifesto, AAP had promised to build two lakh public toilets across Delhi, set up 20 new
colleges, regulate fees in private school, add 30,000 more beds in Delhi hospitals and create eight lakh new jobs in the next five years if it came to power.
We have lost a year and development is held up in Delhi,” Sisodia said.
Spolia, who was to retire on January 31, got one month extension in view of Assembly polls here and is due to retire after two weeks.
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