CM orders administration to give preference to locals in small contracts

PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun

Taking cognisance of the order of the district Panchayati Raj officer of Tehri Garhwal in which the task of putting number plates mentioning the house numbers and the slogans of Swachchh Bharat Mission and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao on the houses in the villages of the district was given to a person hailing from outside the State, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed the department to immediately cancel the order. He has also directed the administration to initiate an inquiry on the issue and take disciplinary action against the culprits.

In the letter, the DPRO gave the task of putting the number plates under the Swachchh Bharat Abhiyan to a person who is not a resident of the State. The letter went viral on the social media platforms with many users questioning the department for preferring outsiders over locals even for doing petty work.

It is pertinent to mention here that the CM Dhami had directed the administration that preference should be given to the local people in all the government works upto Rs 10 crore.

In a similar incident, the district magistrate of Uttarkashi Prashant Arya has issued a show cause notice to the DPRO of Uttarkashi, KC Bahuguna for giving the work of putting the number plates on the houses in the rural areas of the district to one Upendra Kumar, a resident of Sasaram in Rohtas district of Bihar. In his order, the DPRO has said that the house owner concerned should pay a sum of Rs 50 to the contractor for installing the number plate. The DM has expressed displeasure over the order and asked the DPRO to submit his reply within two days.