Ministers, officers told to meet public

NEWDELHI: Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has asked his cabinet colleagues and officers to meet the public for an hour on weekdays in an effort to overcome the apparent ‘disconnect’ of the government with the people.

Kejriwal directed chief secretary MM Kutty on Wednesday to make a formal arrangement to address people’s grievances.

“Ministers and officers will meet the people without prior appointments from 10am to 11am in their respective offices from Monday to Friday. However, the decision will not be applicable to the government’s field staff such as doctors and teachers,” deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia told reporters at Delhi secretariat, adding the system is likely to be put in place from next month.

The list of officials who will be available in their offices to address people’s grievances includes all department heads, district magistrates, sub-divisional magistrates and other senior officers. The CM directed Kutty to ask officers not to schedule their meetings between 10 am and 11am. “Exceptions will only be granted if an officer is on leave,” he added.

The decision comes a month after the ruling party’s defeat in the municipal elections. During the post-election review, the AAP legislators had raised the issue of ‘inaccessibility’ of ministers as one of the reasons for the electoral loss.

Sisodia said the move followed complaints to AAP ministers, including the CM, that officers were not accessible to the people.

A similar attempt was made by the government earlier. However, the system failed to yield any results.

In his note to Kutty, Kejriwal said if officers had to leave their seat for an emergency, they should seek permission from their senior officer on the phone, who in turn would inform the office of the minister concerned. A record should also be maintained of the grievances and of action taken, the note reads.