The Hindu : New Delhi News : Foreign trip keeps Mayor `busy'

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Friday, Sep 03, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Foreign trip keeps Mayor `busy'

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 2. Guess what the First Citizen of Delhi is busy with these days? It is not inspection of damaged roads or any initiative on the health or sanitation front, the Delhi Mayor, Asha Ram Verma, is busy running around various offices with a file seeking clearance for his foreign visit to the United States and Spain.

For major part of this week Mr. Verma, was seen moving around from one room to the other at Player's Building and waiting outside the chambers of the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, and the Delhi Lieutenant-Governor, B. L. Joshi, seeking no objection certificate for his second foreign trip.

The proposal that was sent to the Delhi Government by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi on July 15 was cleared only today afternoon.

Following the clearance, Mr. Verma would now attend the 17th Annual Assembly of the International Association of Peace Messenger Cities at New Heaven in the U. S. from September 9 to 11, officials said. The conference has been organised by the Mayor of New Heaven. Soon after, Mr. Verma would fly Spain to attend the Second Session of World Urban Forum, organised by the United Nations at Barcelona from September 13 to September 17.

Senior officials in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi complained that the Delhi Government by taking such an undue long time and forcing the Mayor to move with the file personally from one office to the other was trying to "degrade" the office of the first citizen of the Capital. It is believed that Mr. Verma too expressed his displeasure with the attitude of the officials of the Delhi Government. He is believed to have complained that this was being done purposefully.

"We have been reduced to the status of a beggar by the Delhi Government," he is reported to have told his close aide. The Mayor office complained that such an attitude of the Delhi Government has been there for quite some time now.

"When Jaishree Panwar was the Delhi Mayor, she had written to the then Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, against the then Chief Secretary, Shailja Chandra, for blocking her foreign trip," officials said.

On the other hand, officials of the Delhi Government alleged that the Mayor was showing an "unusual personal interest" in the foreign trip. "This is much below the dignity of the Mayor to move with the file personally. "At times, he waited for a few hours to get necessary clearance from Ms. Dikshit and also drove down to Raj Nivas seeking inquiries about the status of his file," officials said.

"Had he shown such a personal interest in solving the problems of the Capital and taking issues like the pathetic road condition, increasing cases of water borne diseases and deteriorating sanitary conditions, our offices would not have received such a large number of complaints with regard to civic problems," officials said.

This is the second foreign trip of Mr. Verma in less than six months. Last time he went to Rome. "There is a tendency among the MCD Councillors and officials to go on foreign trips frequently," officials said.

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