New Delhi, Mar 17 (IANS): Newly-appointed Delhi PWD Minister Atishi on Friday asked Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena to appoint a Secretary for the department on a priority basis.

"Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced in January the redevelopment of about 1,400 km of major roads in Delhi. The project was supposed to be placed before the EFC and the Council of Ministers for approval in February and the project was scheduled to start from April. However, it has not been done because no one has been posted as a regular Secretary to the PWD since mid-February," she said in a letter to the LG.

She said that as the project involves an expenditure of thousands of crores, those currently holding temporary charge do not feel confident to clear the proposal. Atishi said that the PWD has remained practically aheadless' for the last 2 months.

Vikas Anand - who was PWD Secretary from November 2022 to February 2023 - was relieved of his charge on February 15, after which no officer was posted as the PWD Secretary. Sanjay Goel, by virtue of being the Link-Officer, was handling the charge of PWD Secretary. An order dated March 3 was issued for A. Anbarasu to join as Principal Secretary, PWD. However, he has not even joined the Government of NCT of Delhi (GNCTD) so far and there is no clarity as to when he shall join, read the letter.

"The absence of any PWD Secretary for the last two months, and the repeated stop gap arrangements seem more like a deliberate attempt to stall the work of an elected government," Atishi said in letter.