Under pressure from the Assembly Speaker, the Karnataka government has picked up the issue of pending questions raised by MLAs and pulled up IAS officers for delay in answering them.
To deal with this issue, the State Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, and Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh (IAS:1989:KN) have now set a deadline for IAS officials to send replies to questions raised by MLAs.
They went on to warn the bureaucrats against such delays, as they have caused “great embarrassment” to the government.
Not only this, but even departmental secretaries have been asked to explain the delays immediately. The govt has also directed concerned ministers to write separately to MLAs explaining the reason for the delay while giving a timeline.
The Chief Secretary had earlier issued show-cause notices to seven senior IAS officers, including an Additional Chief Secretary, over the same issue. Her letter stated that delays in sending replies embarrassed the government.
Among the IAS officers who were issued show-cause notices are Rajendra Kumar Kataria (IAS:1996:KN), currently serving as Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue); Amalan Aditya Biswas (IAS:1997:KN), posted as Principal Secretary in the Public Works Department; R. Girish (IAS:2010:KN), serving as Horticulture Secretary; N V Prasad (IAS:2004:KN), working as Executive Director of the Transport Department; Mohan Raj K P (IAS:2007:KN), posted as Housing Secretary; Shamla Iqbal (IAS:2002:KN), serving as Secretary in the Minority Welfare Department; and R. Vinoth Priya (IAS:2010:KN), current Secretary of the Animal Husbandry Department.
According to sources, between 2023 and 2026, the maximum questions raised by MLAs that remain pending are related to departments like Revenue, Public Works, Minority Welfare, Haj and Wakf, Transport, Housing, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, as well as Horticulture and Sericulture.
This situation arose after it was found that only 90 out of a total of 245 questions have been answered so far, which the CM said has caused inconvenience to MLAs, undermining their rights as well as the dignity of the House.
The issue reached a flashpoint after Speaker U. T. Khader walked out from the Assembly, citing the government’s failure to respond to MLAs’ questions.
It was his protest that led to immediate administrative action, with delays seen as undermining the dignity of the House.
The Speaker warned of action against the secretaries if anything is delayed again. He said that the Chief Secretary will take action against any delays.
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