Don’t stall resumption of business: Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia to officials

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has conveyed to the bureaucracy that it has to actively facilitate implementation of the relaxations announced by it, in accordance with the Centre’s guidelines, in the third phase of the extended lockdown. It has expressed its displeasure over district magistrates and senior police officers putting additional restrictions for resuming economic activities.
It has also objected to resident welfare associations prescribing their own rules for entry of self-employed persons like domestic staff, electricians and plumbers into colonies. It had been initially conveyed by an MHA official that residents could decide on the entry of these helpers and others, but the Delhi government never mentioned this when it announced its relaxations.
In a terse note, deputy CM Manish Sisodia on Wednesday asked chief secretary Vijay Dev to direct district magistrates and deputy police commissioners to be “facilitators” in reviving the state's economy by allowing the activities permitted by the Centre.
Sisodia said that the Delhi government had received several complaints regarding private offices – including those of chartered accountants and lawyers — in district centres like Nehru Place and industrial units not being allowed to operate.
Govt, bureaucracy spar over relaxation
TOI has in a series of reports in the past few days highlighted how many offices, industrial units and shops remain closed because of confusion over rules and lack of clarity from DMs and the police.
“These instances are absolutely unacceptable and it is the duty of the district magistrates to ensure that economic activity commences in the NCT of Delhi,” said Sisodia. “It is necessary for all of us to fight the Covid disease, and it is equally a mandate…of the DMs to ensure that the permitted activity begins at once during the permitted hours. All DMs and DCPs (should) be accordingly instructed to give the message to all enforcement officers of the government to come with the mindset of facilitators for commencement of the permitted economic activities.”
Earlier, sources recalled, the government faced reluctance on the part of the district administrations and police to implement its decision to allow standalone liquor vends to operate.
Though hundreds of people thronged a handful of liquor vends leading to a law and order situation and increasing the risk of transmission of Covid-19, the store managers had complained that they got little support from the district officials. This had forced the excise commissioner to write to the police commissioner.
A senior district official, however, said that the revised lockdown guidelines and relaxations given by the Centre in districts categorised as red zones were being properly implemented. “There could be some sporadic instances on day one when factories faced difficulties due to lack of clarity on having the ‘access system’ mandatory for being allowed to open. But things have now been sorted out and operations are smooth,” he said, requesting anonymity.
On the issue of self-employed service providers, another district official said that the government guidelines have been clear and they were trying to implement them. “But if a gated society decides with consensus that domestic workers will not be allowed, we cannot do much,” he said.