Kolkata, Aug. 30 -- The West Bengal government has directed officials across administrative levels to hold face-to-face meetings with members of the public twice a week in an effort to strengthen its grievance redressal mechanism.
Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal has directed government officials, including field-level officers from the district to the block level, to make themselves available for public hearings every Tuesday and Thursday between 10.30 am and 1 pm. Members of the public will not require prior permission or an appointment to meet officials during the designated hours, according to the order.
The initiative comes alongside Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's weekly public grievance hearing programme, 'Janatar Darbar', where he personally meets people and hears their complaints. Under the new arrangement, district magistrates, subdivisional officers, block development officers, municipal commissioners, police officials and other field-level officers of various departments will be covered.
The government has asked officials to avoid, as far as possible, scheduling meetings, official tours or other engagements during the earmarked hours so that they can attend to members of the public.
The directive also requires departments to prominently display the email addresses and mobile numbers of the concerned officials at accessible locations. The information is also to be published on official websites.
Departments have further been asked to issue advance notices specifying the days and timings when officials will be available to meet the public.
The government has stressed that merely hearing grievances will not be sufficient. Officials will have to maintain records of the action taken on complaints and monitor their disposal.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.