Yogi Adityanath has been in the news for all the right and wrong reasons. As a young chief minister, the Hindu hardliner has gone quite far in taking almost 50 decisions within a week of assuming charge.

Yogi Adityanath has been in the news for all variety of reasons. As a young chief minister, he has gone quite far in taking almost 50 decisions within a week of assuming charge beginning with asking his ministers to declare their assets within 15 days. Some of the major decisions have created ripples in the political community and society at large.

Ban on slaughterhouses

Adityanath has been clear that abbattoirs operating legally will not be touched, but action will be taken against the illegal ones. "The illegal abattoirs will be closed down," he had said while addressing a civic reception here in his hometown. Regarding the closure of illegal abbattoirs, Adityanath said the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had in the past couple of years insisted on their closure. With the ban on the slaughterhouses, meat supply has stopped to most restaurants and shops. While there were Hindustan Times reports of animals in the Kanpur Zoo not getting their daily feed, meat sellers have been on strike since the supply of meat have been restrained.

Anti-Romeo Squad

Adityanath also directed the state's top officials to chalk out clear guidelines for the Anti-Romeo Squad, so that there is no "unnecessary harassment" of boys and girls.

According to The Hindu, the state government has asked the Uttar Pradesh police to constitute an "Anti-Romeo Squads" in 11 districts of Lucknow to prevent sexual harassment cases. The squad will be present in front of schools and colleges.

He also asked for effective steps in cases of acid attacks. In the first meeting with ministers of state and senior officials of departments held by him, the chief minister also stressed on blanket ban on illegal mining saying that there were adverse reports about some districts.

The concept of an Anti-Romeo Squad — a poll promise of the BJP that won a remarkable victory in the Uttar Pradesh election — drew criticism from certain quarters are visuals of policemen targeting young boys and girls going viral on TV and in social media. "The idea is to question, check group of boys or boys alone near colleges and other places, and create fear among potential harassers in public places," said a police officer.

According to police sources, the modus operandi of the squads will be the same as that of the infamous 'Operation Majnu' in 2005, in which boys at crossings and markets were pulled up, and couples in gardens were thrashed by police.

Focus on sanitation

Adityanath has also asked senior state government officials to pull up their socks and ensure that 30 districts of the state are open defecation-free by December. A day after he took over as the Uttar Pradesh's chief minister, Adityanath administered a sanitation pledge to the officials and asked them to ensure that the pledge is effectively implemented, the state government said in a release.

According to The Hindu, Adityanath directed officials to prohibit the use of pan and tobacco in government offices, hospitals, schools and colleges. He also banned the use of plastic in government offices.

On lines of Swachh Bharat Mission of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the chief minister said, "Uttar Pradesh lags behind other states as far as cleanliness is concerned. Despite the availability of safai workers both in urban and rural areas, there is laxity in this regard."

Crackdown on bureaucrats

Adityanath on 22 March urged his ministerial colleagues to not use hooters and sirens on their four-wheelers, as it creates "noise pollution" and disturbs the public.

Elaborating further on this, cabinet minister Siddhartha Nath Singh said, "Adityanath urged all his ministerial colleagues to shun siren and hooters, as they create noise pollution. On day one after taking oath as the cabinet minister, I had said no to hooter and siren."

He also said District Magistrates (DMs) and district police heads will be held directly responsible in case of illegal mining in their districts.

On 25 March, Yogi Adityanath directed officials of the Public Works Department (PWD) to make all state roads pothole free by 15 June 2017. He also asked the officials to complete all works and projects within the prescribed time frame on a priority basis. Adityanath also asked the officials to prepare a work plan to extend better facilities to the people residing in rural areas. The chief minister asked for adopting e-tendering so as to make the system more transparent and corruption-free.

According to The Indian Express, Adityanath recently ordered teachers employed in government schools to not wear T-shirts while working on the job. He also asked them not to use cell phones unnecessarily unless required.

Crackdown on food mafia

Adityanath has also ordered strict action against the food grain and ration mafia, while directing the officials to submit reports of closed sugar mills in the state. "The poor people must be issued ration cards, while stringent action be initiated against the food grain and ration mafia. The superintendents of police and district magistrates must act tough against the mafia through sustained campaigns," he said while chairing a review meeting of officials of Gorakhpur and Basti divisions here.

He directed the officials concerned to submit a report in the next 15 days on the revival of closed sugar mills and repair of those mills which were not functioning properly.

The chief minister also directed the officials to shift the Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research in Lucknow to Pipraich so that the construction work of AIIMS could commence in the city. He said the construction work of Gorakhpur Fertiliser Plant and Indian Bottling Plant Project must be completed by 2019. The saffron leader also asked officials to refrain from using disputed land as sites of any state project.

According to The Times of India, among other decisions, the chief minister has also asked to ensure the construction of metro railway in Agra, Meerut, Gorakhpur and Jhansi.

The Times of India report said the chief minister has also focused on ensuring proper drinking water facility at every police station along with directions for creating a citizen's charter in each and every department. The CM has also ordered installation of CCTV cameras at all government offices. The Uttar Pradesh government has also ordered to provide electricity during Navaratra, Ram Navami and facilities to devotees at Shaktipeetha during the nine-day festival.

Adityanath has also asked all BJP office bearers and public representatives not to undertake any contractual work and instead monitor them for effective execution. "No office bearer of the party or any public representative should undertake any contractual work (thekedaari). They should rather monitor them. And, if they

find any discrepancy, they can inform me, so that action could be taken immediately against the guilty," he said.

According to India Today, the new state government has also ordered a stay on Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) results after complaints of irregularities. The government has directed UPPSC to halt all exams and interviews till further orders.

With inputs from agencies