New Delhi: The Delhi government has told its senior officers to give top priority to meetings chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and to ensure that decisions taken in meetings convened by the Centre or the Lieutenant Governor reach the Chief Minister's Office.
The General Administration Department, in a recent communication to additional chief secretaries, secretaries and heads of departments, reiterated the protocol for attending the chief minister's meetings and for sharing information on important government matters. The directive followed an observation that some senior officers had been unable to attend meetings chaired by the chief minister, and that decisions emerging from Centre or LG meetings were not always communicated to the CMO.
The GAD said some officers had not followed similar instructions issued in April, and that the chief minister had taken a "serious view" of it.
Officers have been told to ensure their attendance at meetings convened in the CMO under the chief minister's chairpersonship. If such a meeting clashes with one scheduled later, organisers should be asked to reschedule, with advance intimation to the CMO. If the clash is with an earlier-scheduled meeting and cannot be resolved, the matter must be brought to the CMO in advance.
The department also laid down steps to improve coordination between departments. Whenever a department or organisation under the Delhi government receives an important communication from the Centre on a new programme, scheme or matter, a copy must be forwarded to the offices of the chief minister and the chief secretary, as must copies of the replies.
Coordination between the Centre and the Delhi government is a perennial question in the capital, and the order on meeting priority and information flow is part of that. The Chief Minister's Office has had to reiterate protocol more than once.