New Delhi, Aug 14 (PTI) Delhi Cabinet minister Atishi on Monday directed the chief secretary, hours after taking charge of the vigilance department, to act against “corrupt practices” in SDM offices.
The minister, in a note to chief secretary Naresh Kumar, said a team of senior IAS and DANICS officers be formed within a week and it should visit all SDM offices for an inspection.
She also said that the chief secretary should visit at least five sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) offices and investigate the complaints.
The minister directed the chief secretary, who is also the chief vigilance officer of the Delhi government, to furnish a detailed report within a week, detailing “irregularities” detected in SDM offices and the ways to curb them.
In a recent reshuffle in his Cabinet, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal gave the Vigilance and Services departments to Atishi raising the number of portfolios allotted to her to 14.
The minister took charge of the Vigilance Department on Monday.
The minister wrote to the chief secretary alleging that she has received several complaints during the public hearings that government officers in SDM offices were asking for bribes for issuing of certificates by the Revenue Department.
“These issues need to be investigated immediately. The chief secretary, who also acts as the chief vigilance officer, is hereby directed to set up a team of senior IAS and DANICS officers to visit all SDM offices within the next one week and conduct inspection at the ground level with regard to any corrupt practices that may be going on,” she said in the note.
The minister said the report to be submitted by the chief secretary should also include recommendations on how to eradicate corrupt practices and suggestions for amending procedures that might inadvertently facilitate corruption.
She stressed that SDM offices played a pivotal role in delivering essential services to citizens. These offices handle crucial documents such as income certificates and caste certificates to the people, including the underprivileged, the minister said.
Any illicit transactions in these offices will disproportionately impact the most vulnerable and marginalised individuals, she said. PTI VIT RHL
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