Miffed with the ‘delay’ in the Metro Phase 4 project and the Delhi-Meerut high-speed urban rail link construction, due to the Delhi government’s pending approval, the Centre has decided to go ahead with the project on its own. While speaking at a press conference on Monday, Union housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that if the AAP-led Delhi government won’t approve a project or will not provide funding for the project, the Centre will find a solution to do things on its own.

Puri’s statement comes after he had urged CM Arvind Kejriwal to send the proposals to the ministry as soon as he could. As per Puri’s allegations, the Delhi government is yet to give its financial approval for the Phase IV funding. Notably, the approvals have been stuck for the last two years. Puri, venting out his disappointment, said that the commuters suffer a shortage of public transport and there is a lot of stress on the presently available system in place.

He said that the Centre will begin work on high-speed rail corridor between Delhi and Ghaziabad and Metro Phase 4 despite constraints, adding that the modalities of the projects are being worked out.

As per media reports Puri had earlier written to CM Arvind Kejriwal highlighting that the delay in the commencement of phase four is not only causing health hazards but has also resulted in Rs 12,000-crore cost escalation in the project. The 104-kilometre metro phase 4 network will connect Mukundpur with Saket (G Block) benefitting south Delhi residents. The project, as per media reports, will be completed in two phases – the first phase of which will include Mukundpur-Maujpur, Tughlakabad-Terminal 1 and Janakpuri (west)- RK Ashram sections while the second phase will connect Rithala -Narela, Inderlok -Indraprastha and Lajpat Nagar-Saket G-Block.

This isn’t the first instance where the Centre has decided has to go ahead after waiting for the Delhi government’s nod. Earlier, the Centre had started work on building a flyover and an underpass to connect IGI Airport with Vasant Kunj after the Delhi government was unable to pay its share for the project.

New Delhi: Salaries of 20 Aam Aadmi Party MLAs who were disqualified for allegedly holding the office of profit have been stopped, Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel said on Tuesday. All others facilities, which were being provided to these 20 MLAs, have also been stopped.

“The salaries of 20 MLAs, who had been disqualified by the Election Commission, have been stopped. Their salaries for the month of February have not been released,” Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel told PTI.

Office of profit: AAP MLAs withdraw earlier plea against Election Commission

Sources said other facilities, which are provided to MLAs, have also been stopped to these 20 AAP MLAs by the Assembly Secretariat. With salary and allowances, an MLA gets around Rs 90,000 per month in the national capital.

The 20 AAP MLAs have challenged the Election Commission’s order in the Delhi High Court, which had reserved its order on February 28. Earlier, on January 24 the HC had refused to stay the Centre s notification disqualifying the MLAs but restrained the EC from taking any precipitate measures such as announcing dates for bypolls to fill the vacancies.

In a blow to the Aam Aadmi Party, the Election Commission had in January asked President Ram Nath Kovind to disqualify 20 of its MLAs for holding offices of profit, setting the stage for their ouster from the Assembly.

In its opinion sent to the president, the poll panel said the MLAs, by occupying the post of parliamentary secretaries between March 13, 2015, and September 8, 2016, held offices of profit and were liable to be disqualified as legislators. The President had approved the EC’s recommendation and ordered disqualification of the MLAs.

NEW DELHI: A Delhi Cabinet meeting on Tuesday was recorded by the General Administration Department (GAD) of the Delhi government, a senior official said, a week after the last cabinet meeting was recorded by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s “media team”.

This comes in the wake of an alleged attack on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by two Aam Aadmi Party or AAP lawmakers Amanatullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal in the presence of Mr Kejriwal at the chief minister’s residence — where the officer had gone for a meeting — on February 19. Mr Khan and Mr Jarwal were later arrested.

Tuesday’s meeting was recorded by the GAD, a senior official told IANS, but added that “it was not based on any request” from the chief minister or the political executive.

After the last cabinet meeting on February 27, Principal Secretary (GAD) Manoj Kumar Parida had written a letter to Mr Kejriwal and requested that the original footage be handed over to the department for “safe keeping”.

The last meeting was recorded by Mr Kejriwal’s “media team” and not by the government officials, Mr Parida had said. But, an AAP government spokesperson had denied Mr Parida’s claim and said that the “Delhi government” did the recording.

Both cabinet meetings were attended by Mr Prakash.

Sources told IANS that the footage of the previous meeting was not yet handed over to the GAD.

When reached out for a comment on GAD recording the meeting, an AAP government spokesperson told IANS: “We welcome the move and are open to any idea for transparency.”

But when asked about the delay in handing over footage of the last cabinet meeting, his cryptic reply was: “Talk to GAD or Chief Minister’s Office.”

A week after Prakash was allegedly attacked, sources close to the Chief Minister had said that the Delhi government was planning to live-stream all official meetings and the February 27 Cabinet meeting was recorded in line with the plan.

The alleged attack has created a rift between the AAP government and the bureaucracy, with Delhi Government Employees Joint Forum boycotting all meetings with ministers till Kejriwal tenders a “written public apology” for the incident.

Also, scores of officers are holding a five-minute silence every day during the lunch break outside their respective offices across the city.

Mr Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had said that several government meetings were cancelled as bureaucrats boycotted them.

A cabinet meeting was also cancelled last week as the bureaucrat concerned proceeded on a week-long leave.

The alleged assault on the chief secretary by MLAs has sent shock waves among all sections of government employees across the country and had a demoralising effect on the entire bureaucracy, Delhi’s lieutenant governor Anil Baijal told chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday.

Baijal, in a letter to Kejriwal, said during his meetings with various service associations he felt the government employees in Delhi were feeling physically insecure.

“The unfortunate incident of alleged misbehaviour and physical assault on the chief secretary (Anshu Prakash), who is the head of the bureaucracy, at the residence of the chief minister by the elected MLAs was unprecedented and has had a demoralising effect on the entire bureaucracy.

“This incident has sent shock waves through all sections of government employees in not only Delhi but also in the entire country,” Baijal said in the letter.

According to a statement issued by Raj Niwas, the L-G has met various service associations.

“From these meetings, the impression he received was that today, government employees in Delhi feel physically insecure, sadly in the very presence of those, who have been elected to uphold democracy and rule of law.

He observed that there was a need to introspect how this deplorable state of affairs has developed,” the statement said.

The communication from the L-G came following the request by deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia asking Baijal to order bureaucrats to resume work asserting that if services matter were under the Delhi government’s ambit, “rule of law” would have been followed.

Noting that in his long career in government, Baijal said he does not recall there being so much of rift between the elected government and bureaucracy, despite Delhi having seen governments of different hues.

Baijal urged Kejriwal to reach out directly to the employees as greater responsibility lies on him as the alleged assault on Prakash was reported to have happened at his residence in his presence.

Prakash was allegedly assaulted by AAP MLAs during a meeting at CM residence on February 19.

It seems the controversy over the alleged assault on Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash at CM Arvind Kejriwal’s residence will not end soon. On Tuesday, Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party accused Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash of “conspiring” to destabilise the elected government of Delhi. The statement came on the day top officials attended the first Cabinet meeting since the alleged assault on Anshu Prakash. Chaired by the chief minister, the meeting took place at Delhi Secretariat in the afternoon. Prakash, hours before the meeting, wrote a letter to Kejriwal, saying he will attend the meeting but on one condition. Prakash’s letter said his presence in the meeting is based on the assumption that the CM “will ensure that there is no physical attack and verbal assault on the officers”. He added that he expected a proper decorum during the meeting.

The meeting was attended by all the ministers except Gopal Rai, who is in Kerala for medical treatment. The meeting also saw the presence of Principal Secretary (Finance) S N Sahai and Secretary of the General Administration Department Manoj Parida. Starting at 3 pm, the meeting lasted 15-20 minutes. Several top officials were seen wearing black bands as a mark of solidarity with Prakash when Kejriwal made his way into the meeting.

Prakash, who alleged he was assaulted at the CM’s residence on February 19, was supported by the joint forum of government employees in his resolve to communicate with ministers only through written means till Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia issue an apology.

In his letter, Prakash made it clear that the decision not to attend the meeting was taken to finalise dates for the Budget session. Delhi’s Budget session will take place in the third week of March. Also, officers had resolved they may attend meetings in the “larger public interest”.

However, despite Prakash’s gesture of attending the meet, AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj held a press conference and alleged that Prakash, Baijal and Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik were conspiring against the elected government. He added that the trio provoked the IAS association and instigated other employee unions to assault ministers at the Secretariat. The AAP leader alleged that IAS Association called a meeting at the behest of CS and L-G. He added that the officers had thrashed Minister Imran Hussain and his staff.