Logo

Logo

# Cities

Didn’t reject doorstep delivery, asked to reconsider, says LG

Hours after Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia condemned Lt Governor Anil Baijal for “rejecting” the proposal of doorstep delivery…

IANS | New Delhi | December 27, 2017 7:53 am

Didn’t reject doorstep delivery, asked to reconsider, says LG

Delhi LG Anil Baijal (Photo: Twitter)

Hours after Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia condemned Lt Governor Anil Baijal for “rejecting” the proposal of doorstep delivery of government services, the latter declined it saying he only asked the government to “reconsider” it.

A statement issued by Baijal’s office said: “LG has only advised to reconsider the proposal in its present form and has suggested to consider alternative model to eliminate corruption and improve public service delivery.

It said that the model proposed by the government would introduce another layer of human interface with its attendant complications including “concerns associated with safety and security of women/senior citizens, possibility of corruption, delays, bad behavior, loss of documents, breach of privacy, etc”.

Advertisement

“Service delivery persons would have to undertake ‘unnecessary’ road trips on the already congested Delhi roads adding to the air pollution.

“…the residents of Delhi would have to pay service charges and the people would have to pay facilitation charges,” Baijal said in the statement.

He suggested that digital delivery of services can be the “most effective” tool to eliminate corruption as it removes human interface, minimizes delays and discretion.

“Consider plugging gaps in digital delivery of services from application to delivery stage, enable people to access services online through Internet Kiosks to be set up by unemployed youth,” he said.

Sisodia had attacked the decision, saying: “Huge setback in Delhi government’s efforts to provide good and corruption free governance…LG has taken decision without knowing field reality.”

He said most of these services are already digital, yet there are long queues in offices.

“Despite digitalization, most people still have to run around government offices with documents etc.”

In a series of tweets, Sisodia questioned if the Lt Governor has the “power to express difference of opinion with the elected government on such critical matters of public interest and be able to scuttle such measures”.

“Public hugely suffering because of that.”

The Delhi government had, under the scheme, decided to offer over 40 government services ranging from the grant of water connection to marriage certificate at people’s doorstep.

Advertisement

Related posts

# India

Water woes: Delhi LG accuses Atishi of using death of woman for pol gains

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Tuesday wrote an open letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, expressing displeasure over Water Minister Atishi's letter to him alleging that she has chosen to use an unfortunate death of a woman for narrow political gains. LG in his letter to Kejriwal alleged that the minister drew a conclusion based on news reports and resorted to blame game, where she had underlined inadequate water supply as the cause behind the incident, despite the police still probing the circumstances of the tragic death. The LG termed her note addressed to him as a prima facie admission of guilt, inaction and inefficiency over the past ten years. He pointed out that the unfortunate incident was not the only such case of its kind in Delhi, but many such incidents happened in the past due to the government's failure, he claimed. Mentioning that the water minister has again targeted the Chief Secretary who is also DJB CEO and officers of Finance and UD, the LG alleged that the Delhi ministers have time and again blamed officers for their own failures in different situations. The LG further highlighted facts brought in the economic survey 2023- 24 tabled by Finance Minister, and informed CM that water treatment over the last decade grew marginally from 906 MGD to 946 MGD, which was barely 4.4 per cent increase, while during the same period Delhi's population has significantly grown by 15 per cent, LG added. He mentioned that of the total water supplied, 120 MGD comes from the ground water, which he claimed was exaggeration, adding that out of the 16 Ranney Wells, five are non functional. LG in his open letter to CM also mentioned that water leakages through transmission and distribution losses, theft and other factors have seen a sharp spike from 45 per cent in 2015 to 58 per cent in 2022- 23. Net water availability over the last decade has decreased by more than 100 MGD due to criminal neglect by the Delhi government, LG alleged. The LG has also claimed in his letter to CM that the rich are getting an abundant supply of water which is nearly 35 buckets per person, while poor colonies' water supply is less than 50 litre per person on a daily basis. He also said he was dismayed and disturbed while addressing budget session where his speech approved by the CM mentioned that 7 percent of households in the city do not receive piped water supply, which also is a gross understatement of the problem, Saxena claimed, adding that during his visits to slums and unauthorised colonies and rural areas it was evident that the magnitude was far greater, he added, further questioning as to whether this was the world class city which the Delhi government has been promising the citizens since a decade. LG also questioned and pointed that instead of fixing the water supply issues, CM and his ministers created a chimera of free water, alleging that deception of people was mastered by the ministers. He further expressed that in the present circumstances CM would not be able to do much about the situation, except to reflect and introspect.