Curbs on 'VIP culture' in Assam: CM's carcade minimised; no extravagant felicitations for Ministers

GUWAHATI: The Assam Cabinet today decided that the Chief Minister’s convoy in Guwahati shall be limited to 6 cars only.

Moreover, the movement of ambulances shall get precedence over the CM's convoy and will not be stopped.

The CM's carcade shall be limited to 12 in other areas/districts, excluding Escort and Pilot.

As per the new rule, during road travel of the CM, traffic will not be disrupted beforehand. If required, may be paused for a period not exceeding 2 minutes

This new development comes amid intense debate over CM Himanta Biswa Sarma's alleged insults to a top bureaucrat in response to stopping traffic for the sake of his convoy in Nagaon district.

The CM publicly scolded Nagaon deputy commissioner Nisarg Hivare for allegedly halting traffic on NH 127 for the chief minister’s convoy to pass A video clip of the incident was shown on local TV news channels and went viral on social media, where it evoked mixed response from netizens.

While some appreciated Sarma’s action, many criticised him for “misbehaving” with an IAS officer in front of the people. Sarma himself posted the video on social media and reiterated his stand to stop this practice.

The Cabinet today also decided to stop felicitations for the CM and Ministers at official meetings.

The Cabinet also decided that District Day shall be observed by all districts on the date of notification for district creation and celebrated with enthusiasm with involvement of local people

If notification not available, the date of joining of the first DC is to be observed as District Day.

In the interest of financial prudence, CM and other Ministers not to make any fresh announcements without taking into consideration availability of adequate financial resources. However, after consulting departments, schemes can be taken up as per request made during the function.

Meanwhile, it has been decided that the State Election Commission shall schedule and conduct Municipal Elections before 10 March 2022.

Moreover, the Budget Session of Assam Legislative Assembly shall commence on 14 March 2022.

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