No car perk for MCD officials who skip site visit

Municipal officers who are provided official vehicles to visit/ inspect civic work at the work site but are not doing so may lose the facility of travelling in government vehicles in future. The standing committee of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation has directed the commissioner to withdraw official vehicles provided to municipal officers who failed to inspect work on the ground.

Standing committee chairman Mohan Bhardwaj had recently directed the commissioner to provide details of inspections carried out by officers provided with government vehicles or getting a travel allowance (TA) for field inspection of works, especially those in the Department of Environment Management (DEMS) which looks after sanitation facilities in the civic jurisdiction. “Withdraw vehicle provided to officers who have failed to take site inspection,” he directed the municipal commissioner.

Mr Bhardwaj also directed the commissioner to provide details of vehicles used by these officers, including distance from their residence to office.

“Calculate the distance between their residence and office and total distance covered by these vehicles. Anyone found not visiting the sites should not be entitled to avail the facility in the future,” said Mr Bhardwaj.

He gave the direction after several councillors, including Leader of the Opposition Mukesh Goel, raised concerns about poor sanitation conditions and the department’s failure to take action.

Leader of the House, NDMC, Yogendra Chandolia, said several officials who are supposed to go on field inspections are doing the job for which they are provided government vehicles and mostly are from DEMS.

“If giving government vehicles to them does not serve the purpose, what is the need to provide the facility to them Complaints are coming about poor sanitation only due to the failure of these officers to inspect works on the ground,” added Mr Chandolia.

Well-placed sources in the NDMC said checking of the record of vehicle use will start in the coming days and a report will be submitted to the commissioner and standing committee chairman.

“After going through the vehicle log book, which records its movement, a report will be prepared for further action,” he added.