Mumbai, Dec 2: In a return gift of sorts, the Chief Minister Manohar Joshi handed over a personal letter to his cabinet colleagues on his birthday , telling them to be present in the Mantralaya at least twice a week. More than the order itself, it was the timing that caught the ministers unawares, busy as they were celebratingJoshi's 60th birthday.

The letter seeks the ministers' attendance in Mantralaya at least on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. And for good measure, Joshi, who is known for his punctuality, has put on record the official working hours as between 9.45 am and 5.30 pm.

After the Sena-BJP govt came to power in March 1994, Joshi had sought his cabinet colleagues regular presence in Mantralaya on several occasions, urging them not to run offices from their official or private bungalows.

However, despite oral requests, when the response was very poor, Joshi chose his birthday to send across the order knowing that the immense bon homie of the day will water down any possible ill-will that such a diktat might generate. The order itself comes after several complaints poured in against the ministers in this regard. In fact, Joshi found out that not only the legislators and the Members of Parliament, but even the Chief Minister's Office found it difficult to get hold of most of the ministers for vital consultations.

A quick look at the official appointments of the ministers during November reveals that barring Joshi and his Deputy Gopinath Munde, Revenue Minister Narayan Rane and Irrigation minister Eknath Khadse, most of the ministers were irregular in attending Mantralaya.

In case of at least 15 ministers, it was confirmed that they were available in Mantralaya for less than an hour's time, and that too only once or twice a week, while a section of the minister preferred to operate from home.

``It is a democratic set up. We have no alternative except to submit the files to the minister at his home for approval,'' a senior official remarked.

The situation has never been so bad. During Sharad Pawar's as well as Sudhakarrao Naik's time, there were no specific instructions, most of the ministers used to be in the Capital for four to five days a week. And when S B Chavan was at the helm of affairs, it was binding on the cabinet ministers to be in Mantralaya six days a week.

Moreover, they were expected to reach Mantralaya at 9.30 am sharp.

In the recent past, this is the third letter from Joshi to his cabinet colleagues. While the first was in connection with the appointment of Special Executive Officers, the second one was about financial situation of the State, urging the minister to monitor the financial situation of their respective departments.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.