Government appoints 2 vigilance officers

To keep tab on its 13 key departments; transfers six other bureaucrats

In order to strengthen its anti-corruption mechanism, the AAP government has posted two bureaucrats as the vigilance officers to keep tab on its 13 key departments in the national capital. The government also effected transfer and postings of six other bureaucrats to speed up work and decision-making in several important departments.

The government’s move to post two bureaucrats as the vigilance officers is reportedly in line with its efforts to set up a parallel anti-corruption branch to keep a tab on the corrupt officers in the city administration.

Ever since joint commissioner of police M.K. Meena was appointed as the ACB head by lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung against the wishes of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, the government has been making all out efforts to strengthen its vigilance wing.

The administration has already ordered that the vigilance officers would handle only vigilance related complaints and would not be tasked with any other departmental work. It has directed that officers deputed in the vigilance wing should not be given any other work by any department so that they could fully concentrate on their vigilance monitoring.

An order to this effect issued by secretary (vigilance) Sukesh Kumar Jain said that for the effective functioning of the vigilance wing in a department, the officer heading it should be able to function independently.

“Such an officer should not be given work in addition to the vigilance work. The head of autonomous bodies under the government of NCT of Delhi will also not assign any other work to the chief vigilance officers, so that they may be able to function independently.”

Of the eight vigilance officers, which the government is going to appoint, it has already tasked the job to two of its senior bureaucrats.

The government has already ordered the transfer of about 40-odd surplus posts lying vacant in various departments for the past few years to the directorate of vigilance.

A source said that special commissioner food and supplies S.B. Shashank has been assigned the job of vigilance officer to keep track on transport, information and publicity, labour, employment, RCS, UTCS, tourism and DSSB. The Delhi subordinate services selection board secretary too has been tasked the job of the vigilance officer to keep a tab on revenue, development, agriculture marketing, industries, election, economics and statistics departments.