Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta chaired a high-level meeting in Delhi Secretariat today. Delhi Minister Ashish Sood, Senior officials of Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Services, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Delhi Development Authority and other departments were present during the meeting. Sharing details with the media about the meeting, Mr Sood said that the Chief Minister has expressed deep concern over recent tragic incidents caused by illegal constructions, violations of fire safety norms and administrative negligence. He noted that Ms Gupta has taken these incidents very seriously and today’s meeting focused on preventing such incidents, cracking down on corruption and negligence and ensuring accountability. The Minister said that the Government has decided to effectively implement several provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. He added that under these provisions, if owners of residential or commercial establishments are found guilty under the law, they may face imprisonment along with fines. The Minister said that due to lack of coordination among various agencies and departments in Delhi, strict compliance with fire safety regulations has often not been ensured. To address this issue and fix accountability, the Government has decided that District Magistrates (DMs) will play a central role. Mr Sood said that in the future, DMs will be empowered to determine accountability of officials from any department operating within their districts, recommend departmental action, file FIRs where necessary, issue show-cause notices, and take immediate action against officials found violating norms.
Mr Sood noted that if loss of life or property occurs due to negligence, carelessness, or corruption by any government official, then that official will be held personally accountable. In such cases, action will go beyond suspension and may include withholding salary, pension, and retirement benefits, as well as recovery of losses from the official’s personal assets.
