Speaker Schools Truant Bureaucrats, Damocles Sword Over Errant Department Heads!

In Maharashtra, topnotch Mantralaya babus attached to high profile departments, put on notice by state legislature over absence during crucial discussions during the ongoing budget session of the state legislature have landed in trouble today. Errant IAS officials suddenly find the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads after failing to take heed of the legislative advisory. Speaker of the state legislative assembly Rahul Narvekar, irked by the continued lackadaisical attitude of these officers of the rank of additional chief secretary (ACS) has now sought an ATR (action taken report) first thing, Monday morning (Mar 16). The issue emerged during the discussions over the planned budget outlay of Rs 7,69,476 crore (including a Rs 40,552 crore revenue deficit) for Maharashtra presented by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on March 6. IAS officers managing the high-profile departments to include Urban Development, Social Justice & Special Assistance, Housing, Tourism and Cultural Affairs and Other Backward Public Welfare that attract huge budgetary allocations were found missing in action. Both houses of the state legislature had taken sharp note of the absence of the senior secretariat officials last week during the crucial discussions revolving around the allocations for these departments crucial to effective governance of the state. Last week’s advisory directed the senior Babudom to ensure they remained present (seated in the sidebar enclosures) of the state legislative assembly (Vidhan Sabha) and council (Vidhan Parishad). Today (Mar 13) witnessed both houses of the state legislature particularly the opposition benches (read UBT Shiv Sena MLC Sachibhau Ahir and Sharad Pawar NCP president Shashikant Shinde) citing the incorrigible behaviour of the officers and even concerned ministers being absent when their department wise issues were being discussed in the upper house (Parishad).