Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia writes to LG VK Saxena over free lab services

NEW DELHI: With the contract of agencies providing free lab services in government hospitals and mohalla clinics expiring soon, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday urged lieutenant governor VK Saxena to give his approval for the renewal of agreement.
In a letter to Saxena, Sisodia said the Delhi government had completed all formalities for awarding the contract earlier this month and had sent the file to the LG secretariat. “The file was sent to you on 12-12-2022 to decide whether you would like to differ from the decision of the government and refer the matter to the President under proviso to Article 239AA(4). I would urge you to kindly decide the matter soon so that the new service provider could start the work,” the deputy CM said in the letter.
He added that the contract for lab services in Delhi government hospitals and mohalla clinics was ending on December 31 and the new contract needed to be signed immediately to enable the new service provider to start working from January 1. “It will cause huge inconvenience to the people if there is a gap,” said Sisodia, who also holds the charge of the health department.
There was no immediate reaction available from the LG office.
This was Sisodia’s second letter to the LG in as many days. On Friday, the deputy CM, in a six-page communication to Saxena, said the LG office was calling files directly from the secretaries to the various departments of Delhi government, “bypassing” the council of ministers. He referred to the various provisions enshrined in the Constitution, the Government of NCT of Delhi Act, 1991, Transaction of Business Rules, 1993, and the Supreme Court judgment of 2018, on the division of powers between the elected government and LG.
In his letter on Saturday, the deputy CM again referred to the 2018 judgment of the five-judge Constitutional bench of the SC and the provisions of the Constitution to underline that the LG has to act on the aid and advice of the council of ministers, headed by the chief minister, unless in “exceptional” circumstances when the matter can be referred to the President.
The LG, earlier this month, had sent his recommendation to remove Dialogue and Development Commission vice-chairman Jasmine Shah from his post, saying he was violating the law by representing Aam Aadmi Party on political platforms.
Sisodia in his letter said that in his opinion, the matter related to awarding of lab services was not that rarest of rare cases which should be referred to the President. “Since there is very little time left, I would be grateful if you could take a decision on the matter at the earliest,” the deputy CM said.