CM, LG discuss compulsory retirement of corrupt officials

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday discussed the issue of compulsory retirement of corrupt officials with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and later directed his cabinet ministers to prepare a list of such officials. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia accompanied CM Kejriwal to the meeting. Chief Minister Kejriwal also discussed this issue in detail with Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Dev.

After the discussions, the CM directed all the cabinet ministers to prepare a list of such officials in their respective departments so that they can be made to retire compulsorily. LG Baijal had earlier written to Dev, asking him to adopt a compulsory retirement policy for tainted officials.

The move is in line with the central government's initiative to retire such officials in a bid to weed out corruption from bureaucracy. CM Kejriwal said his government has a zero-tolerance policy against corruption. During his first stint as the chief minister in 2013-14, he had ordered a crackdown against corrupt officials.

"During the last four and a half years, the Delhi government has come across officials who opposed public welfare policies for extraneous considerations and harmed the interests of Delhi," a statement said. However, due to lack of agencies like Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), the Delhi government has only been able to raise the issue of corruption with the LG, since it cannot take any direct action, it said.

"The government is aware of some cases in which officers refused to implement welfare policies for completely untenable reasons, which require a thorough probe into their acts of omission and commission," noted the government statement. The statement also noted that During CM Kejriwal's current second tenure also, the present government has been totally non-tolerant of corruption and corrupt officials. "It is of the firm belief that such officials ruin the various welfare schemes for the people of Delhi and fill their own coffers," noted the statement.

The capital's administrative set-up is constituted of a large bureaucracy in which IAS officers of the AGMUT –Arunachal Pradesh-GoaMizoram-Union Territories, excluding Andaman and Nicobar Islands –occupy the top slots. They are followed by officers belonging to the DANICS –Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service –cadre. These officials serve in Delhi government, DDA and urban local bodies besides other agencies functioning under the Delhi government. Around 90 IAS and 150 DANICS officers currently occupy various positions. IPS officers of AGMUT cadre occupy top slots in Delhi Police followed by Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service officers.