North Corpn to suspend official

The standing committee of North Corporation has directed the municipal commissioner to suspend a deputy director of the community service department for dereliction of duty, which caused a loss of revenue to the already funds-deprived municipality.

Taking note of a complaint that the department has not been renting out a community hall in Shalimar Bagh, Chairman of Standing Committee of North Delhi Municipal Corporation Mohan Prasad Bhardwaj directed municipal commissioner P K Gupta to suspend Yogender Babu, deputy director of the community service department.

Some days ago, few people approached standing committee member Rekha Gupta. “They were trying to rent the second floor of the three-storey community hall. But every time they approached the community service department, they were told they could not rent the first floor as somebody had already booked the ground floor,” said Gupta.

“When the official got to know that the matter has reached the standing committee, he convinced the ground floor occupants to rent the first floor too to bury the issue.”As per the rules, people can book community hall floor wise for social gatherings, said an official. “But the customers are usually given vague excuses like there is no separate entrance to first or the second floor so they cannot be rented out,” the official added.

Gupta discussed the matter with Bhardwaj, who called the deputy director. “The official did not talk to me properly. He refused to give any satisfactory reply for not renting out the corporation controlled community hall especially when we are facing financial crises,” said Bhardwaj. The chairman also warned officials against dereliction of duty.