The Uttarakhand government has sought an explanation from the Dehradun District Magistrate after the office of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla flagged that the DM violated protocol during his visit to Mussoorie on June 12.
According to officials, the secretary of the protocol department, Vinod Kumar Suman, wrote to the DM, Savin Bansal, after the government received two correspondences from the Lok Sabha Secretariat and the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, informing that during Birla’s visit to Dehradun on June 12, attempts were made by the Speaker’s office to contact the DM via phone to obtain necessary information, but an appropriate response was not received.
The letters also mentioned that he was “non-cooperative”. “It has also been mentioned that the Hon’ble Speaker did not receive the due respect and courtesy befitting his position, and that there was a violation of established protocol standards in the entire matter,” the letter by Suman, quoting from the two letters, reads.
He asked Bansal to provide a clear and detailed report on the entire matter to the government immediately.
The letter, dated June 25, quoted letters from the Lok Sabha Secretariat dated June 17 and from the DoPT dated June 19. The letter from the Lok Sabha Secretariat by the Additional Secretary of the Committee of Privileges states that despite repeated calls and relaying of information, the DM did not return the calls. Later, Birla’s office contacted the CM’s office, after which the DM contacted the Speaker’s office.
However, the letter goes on to say that the DM continued to be non-cooperative and brusque. It further stated that the DM was not present to receive and see off the Speaker upon his arrival at the airport in Dehradun. This letter was later taken up by the DoPT, which asked the government to look into it.
Dehradun DM Bansal declined to comment on the matter and said that matter has been discussed.
