Don't summon collectors, CEOs on Mondays, CM tells ministers

Don't summon collectors, CEOs on Mondays, CM tells ministers
SHAILESH GAIKWAD

MUMBAI, SEPT 6: After laying down several conditions to trim the expenditure incurred on the State Government's administration, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh wants to teach some lessons in discipline to his colleagues.

In a letter issued to all ministers and secretaries of the government recently, Deshmukh has directed them not to summon any regional or field officers to Mantralaya on Mondays. This means, the ministers or the secretaries cannot ask the district collectors or the chief executive officers of the zilla parishads to attend their meetings at Mantralaya on Mondays.

The letter was issued by an angry Deshmukh after Minister for Rural Development R R Patil and Revenue Minister Ashok Chavan complained that the concerned officers were failing to attend the meetings at regional headquarters which are held on Monday. Besides, the officers skip the `Lokshahi Din' (Democracy Day) meetings on the same day when the citizens are given a chance to air their grievances against the local administration.

In his letter issued on August 30, Deshmukh has instructed the ministers and secretaries not to convene the meetings with regional officers and field officers at Mantralaya or any other place in Mumbai on Mondays.

The letter also states that the ministers or secretaries will have to obtain prior permission from the Rural Development Minister or Revenue Minister if they want to summon their officers at Mantralaya. While the CEOs of zilla parishads come under the Rural Development Department, the collectors are part of the Revenue Administration. The Chief Minister has also asked Chief Secretary A L Bongirwar to keep a watch on the implementation of his orders.

Deshmukh's letter comes close on the heels of a circular by the State Planning Department on July 25 instructing the concerned officers to curb expenditure by organising the district planning committee meetings at local level instead of Mantralaya. The circular also directs the officers to minimise expenditure on meetings by not bringing staff with them.

Already, the Finance Department has ordered all the departments to slash the non-planned expenditure by 10 per cent with a view to save Rs 226.67 crore during the year.