Recalcitrant departments will be hauled for Contempt of House, Speaker warns

GANGTOK: The Discussions and Voting on Separate Demands for Grants of different ministries concluded here Monday with proposals tabled by seven Ministers getting the “green signal” from the members without discussions in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly.
The session also included queries and suggestions being offered by the members, with the Gangtok MLA, Dorjee Namgyal, making extensive observations and raising several points. These found sync with the House and one of the points, that of lack of coordination with MLAs by Departments, was also taken up by the Speaker, who warned that recalcitrance by government departments in their interactions of the people’s representatives will be taken as contempt of House in the future.

The Gangtok MLA started with address with a query on the status of the under-construction ‘Khel-Gaon’ project in Ranka, which, he said, could even be developed into a Sports University.
In his reply, the Sports & Youth Affairs Minister, NK Pradhan, who also holds the portfolio for the HRDD, said that the suggestion of developing the Khel Gaon into a Sports University would be ‘deliberated upon and discussed’ and admitted that the progress on the project was ‘slow’, explaining that this was because it was a centrally sponsored scheme and that delay in funds release was the reason behind the delay in completion.
Similarly, the Gangtok MLA’s suggestion to the Tourism Minister, Bhim Dhungel, was on the need for more training and capacity building programmes for taxi drivers in Sikkim since they were the first to interact with tourists and also because they probably spent the longest time with guests, driving them around. The Gangtok MLA suggested that the Tourism Department consider some form of certification for taxi drivers to mark them as specialist handlers for tourists. Such an initiative was required also because the State, the Gangtok MLA said, was “receiving quite a bad name” because of the whimsical taxi fares charged during peak tourist season in Sikkim. “We expect the concerned departments to coordinate and regulate against such cheating,” Mr. Namgyal said.
The Tourism Minister, began his reply by announcing that Sikkim had once again been chosen for a national tourism award [to be handed over at a function scheduled for today] and ‘assured’ that this positive image of tourism would be maintained and that taxi fare rate boards would be put up at various locations after a meeting scheduled for after the budget session.
The Minister, was also asked by the Gangtok MLA to make the projects and schemes of departments under him [Forests, Tourism, Mines & Geology and Science & Technology] be made ‘known’ to the concerned area MLAs in future since the representatives were many times left in the dark about such projects initiated in their constituencies.
In this regard, the Speaker, KT Gyaltsen, added, “I too am an MLA and as a public representative am answerable to the people. I have also experienced that many departments do not take the respective MLAs into confidence before initiating schemes or projects in the their areas which should not be the case since even the leader of the House has made this clear to all heads of departments to coordinate all works with the people’s representatives. This is a burning issue and if a similar complaint comes up in the future, it will be considered contempt of the House.”
The Gangtok MLA’s other suggestion was to the UD&HD Minister, DB Thapa, who is also the Minister for Food & Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Departments. Mr. Namgyal suggested that with the rising number of buildings coming up across the state, especially in and around Gangtok, the issue of “address- proof” was becoming a major problem. The MLA suggested that the UD&HD start implementation of proper numbering of all houses and buildings in the state.
In his reply the Minister assured that the GMC and the other urban local bodies will conduct a survey soon and implement the same.
The query towards the Roads & Bridges and Cooperation Minister, RB Subba, came from the Ralang- Barfung MLA, Sonam Gyatso Bhutia, who informed the House that the20 kilometer stretch of Tinkitam- Rayong Road in his constituency had still not been carpeted despite being a long pending demand with the department.
In his reply, the Minister, explained that the project was earlier under the PMGSY and had now been taken under the department. Further, that the priority roads in the state were undergoing carpeting works and the Tinkitam-Ralang road was not in the priority list, he said.
“We have been completing all works on priority basis and will take the suggestion of the member on a priority basis now,” he assured.
TT Bhutia, Minister, Water Security & Public Health Engineering and Transport Departments, DN Thakarpa, Minister, Health Care Human Services & Family Welfare, Food Security & Agriculture Development and Horticulture & Cash Crops Development and Parliamentary Affairs Departments, Neeru Sewa, Minister, Commerce and Industries, Excise (ABKARI) and Labour Departments, Sonam Gyatso Lepcha, Minister, Minister, Energy and Power and Cultural Affairs and Heritage Departments, CB Karki, Minister, RM&DD, IPR, Printing and Stationary Departments, Dawcho Lepcha, Minister, Animal Husbandry, Livestock, Fisheries and Veterinary Services Development and Irrigation and Flood Control Departments and Tilu Gurung, Minister, Building and Housing Department were the ones who got their separate Demands for Grants passed unanimously by the House without any discussions today.