Arvind Kejriwal wants professionals to handle govt projectss

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday batted for engagement of professionals in handling government's various projects while advocating a public debate on whether country should be run by professionals or bureaucrats.

Kejriwal said the AAP government had appointed an engineer as PWD Secretary and a doctor as Health Secretary who did a brilliant job, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi "removed" them and posted bureaucrats instead.

Three days back, Lt Governor Najeeb Jung had removed non-IAS cadre officers Sarvagya Srivastava from the post of PWD Secretary and Tarun Seem as Health Secretary following the High Court order that stamped the primacy of the Lt Governor in the city administration.

"We appointed an engineer as PWD secy n a doc as health secy. They did a brilliant job. Modi ji removed them n posted bureaucrats instead. There shud be a public debate-Shud country be run by professionals or bureaucrats?, (sic)," Kejriwal tweeted.

Earlier in the day, a delegation of engineers' bodies of various agencies including MCD, NDMC, PWD and DJB met Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia and expressed their "displeasure" over removal of technocrats from key posts.

"During meeting, the delegation thanked the government for appointing an engineer as Secretary of Public Works Department (PWD).

"Engineers' bodies said that Delhi government's initiative of following ISRO and DMRC had shown visible results in performance of PWD," said a senior Delhi Government official.

The associations said they will soon meet LG Najeeb Jung and register their protest over the removal of technocrats from the post of PWD Secretary.

Transfers of Srivastava and Seem sparked another round of tussle between the LG and the AAP government which have been at loggerheads on a range of issues.

In the wake of the HC order that stamped the primacy of the LG in the city administration, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had requested Jung not to transfer Seem and Srivastava as they were handling flagship projects - setting up of mohalla clinics and construction of new school buildings -- of the Kejriwal government.

"Several officers transferred by LG directly. Files not even shown to CM or any minister. Is this Modi model of democracy?... Manish Sisodia requested LG not to transfer these two officers looking after works of setting mohalla clinics and new schools till March 31, but he (LG) did not relent," Kejriwal had tweeted on August 30.