UP CMO Issues New Orders Over Adityanath’s Field Visits:- Going by a specific order issued by the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath’s office, no AC, air-cooler, red carpet, saffron towel and sofa will be seen during field visits.

Over the extravagant arrangements that are made for his visits to homes of martyrs, Adityanath is “extremely unhappy”, said the Chief Minister’s Office. He wants to put an immediate end to this “show-off”, added the CMO. To all administrative and police chiefs of districts and other top officials in the state, to this effect, an order has been issued by his office.

“The CM has given clear orders that no special arrangements be made during his visits and any show-off or inconvenience to common people should be avoided,” an official said.

During his recent visits to Deoria and Gorakhpur for meeting families of martyred jawans, the administration as a temporary measure put up sofas, red carpets and ACs at their residences. Over this, the CM has expressed unhappiness and wants no repeat of it, the official said citing CMO’s order of July 10.

It may be recalled that on July 8, Adityanath had visited the family of slain CRPF sub-inspector Sahab Shukla in Gorakhpur who had died in a terrorist attack in Srinagar on June 24. The local administration for the comfort of the chief minister, covered the entire road to Shukla's house with a red carpet, put up white curtains on the route to block the view of the neighbouring houses, put up saffron-coloured curtains in the martyr’s house and also installed an air-cooler, exhaust fan and a recliner sofa. When he landed there to grieve with the family and hand over a cheque of Rs 6 lakh to them, Adityanath did not like the fanfare.

The sources in CMO said, he is said to have pulled up officials over the same. The chief minister, earlier on May 12, had visited the house of slain BSF jawan Prem Sagar in Deoria. Sagar was killed by a Pakistan Border Action Team along the Line of Control in Poonch. For the CM, a window air conditioner, sofa, red carpet and saffron towels had been temporarily put up by the local officials. Within minutes of his departure from the spot after handing over a cheque of Rs 4 lakh to the grieving family, all these facilities were removed. Adityanath, that time too, had expressed unhappiness with local officials over the same.

However, with the repeat of the same episode in Gorakhpur, an order has been sent out by the CMO to all district magistrates and SSPs to abstain from such acts or face strict action.

The Samajwadi Party expressed criticism over the issue. However, the CMO rubbed off the criticism and said Adityanath has selected austerity. He has even turned down a proposal to buy new SUVs for himself and his office and has opted to travel in cars used by his predecessor Akhilesh Yadav.

SUPRAJA