Gamlin, acting CS of Delhi, complains to L-G; Congress supports AAP
Shakuntala D. Gamlin,
NEW DELHI: Senior IAS officer Shakuntala D. Gamlin, whose appointment as the acting chief secretary had triggered a turf war between the Lieutenant-Governor and the AAP government, has accused a minister, Satyendra Jain, of putting pressure on her over conversion of industrial plots from leasehold to freehold. In a letter to L-G Najeeb Jung, Ms Gamlin alleged that Mr Jain had put pressure on her to submit a note for the council of ministers, proposing conversion of the industrial land from leasehold to freehold. Land in Delhi is not under the jurisdiction of the Delhi government, she added.
However, Mr Jain, who looks after the departments of industries, health, home, PWD and power, strongly refuted Ms Gamlin’s allegation and questioned the manner in which her letter to Mr Jung had been “leaked” to the media. Mr Jain argued that he had only written to the department concerned to examine the feasibility of the proposal about which several organisations had given representations to him.
“If I get representation from a number of organisations, will I not send it to the department concerned for examination? Is it not natural that the department will be asked to examine the particular proposal and look into its feasibility?” asked Mr Jain. The BJP attacked the AAP government on the issue and stressed that the “matter should be thoroughly investigated.” However, the Congress surprisingly supported the Delhi government as Delhi unit chief Ajay Maken said that the party was “supportive of conversion of leasehold into freehold.”
Ms Gamlin’s temporary appointment as the acting chief secretary had sparked off a showdown with the AAP accusing the L-G of attempting a “coup” and bypassing an elected government to get in officers of his choice. The matter is now pending before courts.
The AAP government had recently accused Ms Gamlin, who is the principal secretary (power & industries), of favouring discoms through a Rs 11,000-crore loan. “The industries minister had been continuously pressing me to submit a note for the Council of Ministers proposing therein conversion of industrial plots in the city from leasehold to freehold even after full facts pertaining to the legal ramifications of the case that the matter was not within the competence of the GNCT Delhi had been brought to his notice,” Ms Gamlin said.
“Due to oversight or otherwise, some conversion of industrial plots had been ordered in Delhi without the involvement of land owning agency, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), and the matter is said to be under scrutiny of the vigilance department of the Delhi government. Despite these facts, he kept pressing me on this issue.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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