Bureaucrats ‘overturning’ CM decisions says CMO

The National Capital Civil Services Authority (NCCSA), set up by the Centre through an Ordinance, has been reduced to a “complete farce” as bureaucrats are “overturning” the Delhi Chief Minister’s decisions and “dictating” their own will, the CMO said on Sunday. The statement by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) came two days after the second meeting of the NCCSA during which two member-bureaucrats “did not oppose” Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s stand but later on cancelled his decisions. However, the LG Secretariat rejected the CMO’s claims and said their statement is not giving the “true picture” of developments that took place in the civil services authority’s meeting. “A narrative is being projected that officers are not listening and need absolute control. NCCSA shall release the draft minutes to the press to verify the truth in the public domain,” the LG Secretariat said.
The Centre set up the three-member NCCSA through the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, promulgated on 19 May to create an authority for the transfer and posting of Group-A officers in Delhi.
It comprises the Chief Minister as chairperson, with the Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary (Home) as members. It was bestowed with powers to take decisions by a simple majority. “However, this simple majority has enabled the bureaucrats to override the CM’s decisions, effectively granting them unchecked power over the authority’s operations. Consequently, the Chief Minister’s voice, representing the will of the elected government and the people of Delhi, finds itself in the minority within the NCCSA,” the CMO said in the statement. During the 29 June meeting, Kejriwal expressed concerns over pending transfer-posting proposals and issued directives for request transfers of women officers.
He also recorded objections to the removal of “competent officers” from the Education Department, the statement said. Eleven women officers had requested for transfers on sympathetic grounds, it said, adding the Chief Minister supported it, noting that working women handle both office and home and therefore their pleas must be considered favourably. The statement claimed the two bureaucrats did not oppose the CM’s stand during the meeting. “However, regrettably, when finalising the minutes of the meeting, the Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary (Home) callously overturned all of the Chief Minister’s decisions, proceeding with their own agenda instead.”
As a result, the 11 women officers have been denied transfers despite compelling reasons, and competent officers are being removed from the Education Department, jeopardising the progress made thus far, the CMO statement noted. “The National Capital Civil Services Authority has been reduced to a complete farce with bureaucrats dictating their own will and overturning CM’s decisions,” the statement said, alleging a “carefully orchestrated” plan to undermine Delhi’s education revolution and impede the elected government’s achievements. It is functioning under the stated chairpersonship of the Chief Minister even though none of the decisions made by it align with the CM’s endorsement, the statement said. “In the same meeting, the Chief Minister proposed that the posting requests made by Ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Raaj Kumar Anand be recommended by the Authority.
However, the bureaucrats again took advantage of their majority and refused to entertain the matter in the meeting,” the CMO statement said. Rebutting the charges, the LG Secretariat said the request of women officers for transfer from sub-registrar was not part of the agenda and it was agreed in principle that it will be brought in the next agenda. “As for the agenda regarding the transfer of IFS officers, Hon’ble Chief Minister kept the file for recording his views. The agenda regarding capacity building of officers was not discussed,” it said. Government officials had said there was a proposal to remove some competent officers from the Education Department, which the Chief minister also objected to and stopped.
However, the CMO on Sunday said that the overturning of CM’s decisions by the bureaucrats means competent officers are being removed from the Education Department. The Secretariat reiterated that a “lie” is being spread that NCCSA is transferring officers from Education Department. Meanwhile, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said the problem with CM Arvind Kejriwal is that he wants the entire administrative system to run as per his dictates.