Delhi: LG Anil Baijal asks government to reconsider proposal for home delivery of public services
The Aam Aadmi Party government called it a ‘huge setback’ to its ‘efforts to provide good and corruption-free governance’.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Tuesday asked the government to reconsider its proposal to make dozens of public services available at citizens’ doorsteps. The Aam Aadmi Party government called it a “huge setback” to its “efforts to provide good and corruption-free governance”.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia asked on Twitter whether the Lieutenant Governor should have the power to veto important decisions that the Cabinet has already approved. He said Baijal had rejected the proposal “without knowing [the] field reality”, and that the proposal had been “welcomed by all sections of the society”.
However, Baijal’s office later clarified that it had not rejected the proposal, and had only suggested an alternative model, PTI reported. Going with the government’s proposal could leave room for safety issues for women, corruption, bad behaviour and breach of privacy, the lieutenant governor’s office said in a statement.
On November 16, the Delhi government had announced that as many as 40 public services would soon be available at doorsteps, and officials would go to people’s homes to complete paperwork and collect payment. The services include delivery of driving licences, caste certificates and water connections. The government had sent the proposal to Baijal for his approval.
The AAP government has been involved in a long-running power tussle with the Lieutenant Governor’s office, which is now being heard by the Supreme Court. The government claims that the lieutenant governor has no role in the affairs of the national Capital, and only the chief minister and his council of ministers can make decisions.