Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 1 Jul: The Uttarakhand administration has issued a notice to Dehradun District Magistrate Savin Bansal for an alleged breach of protocol during the visit of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to the state capital on 12 June. It is being alleged that the District Administration failed to extend due honours and courtesy to the Speaker as per established protocols. The charges include not receiving or coordinating the visit as required and not responding appropriately to repeated attempts of communication made by the Speaker’s office.
According to reports, the Speaker’s office attempted to contact the District Magistrate on seven occasions through mobile and landline phones on 10 and 11 June. However, the calls allegedly went unanswered with the excuse that the DM was preoccupied with meetings. The matter was then escalated to the Chief Minister’s Office, following which the DM returned the call. Even so, it has been alleged that the behaviour of the DM over the call was unsatisfactory, and he failed to be present to receive the Lok Sabha Speaker during the visit.
It may be recalled that the visit of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla was scheduled for participation in the 127th Induction Training Programme at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie. He also addressed the trainee officers undergoing induction at the LBS Academy. It is being claimed that the requisite protocol to be observed during such visits was not followed, raising concerns over administrative courtesy and conduct.
Protocol Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman has sought a formal explanation from the Dehradun District Magistrate. While the DM has submitted his response, the secretary is yet to disclose what steps will follow. Considering the seriousness of the lapse, the state government has reiterated that any violation of protocol obligations will be treated with the utmost seriousness and examined accordingly.
