Kejriwal to take regular stock of public grievances

NEWDELHI: Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday reviewed the public grievance monitoring system (PGMS) of the Delhi government and directed the heads of each department to ensure that the dissatisfaction level among complainants is reduced.

Seeing the volume of complaints— 2,59,512 over a period of three years from February 2015 to November 16, 2018— Kejriwal said he would “personally” take stock of the PGMS twice a month.

“All Hods have been asked to review the cases of those individuals who are unsatisfied with the grievance redressal done by the respective department. The CM will hold meetings with the Hods on 15th and 31st (or whichever will be the last working day of the month) to personally review the PGMS functioning,” a government statement read.

Data showed the maximum complaints were about Delhi Jal Board (DJB). During the given period, the DJB — responsible for supplying water — received 79,635 complaints, of which 136 were overdue.

A government spokesperson said the CM also directed all Hods to be present with the status reports of their respective departments in all review meetings held henceforth. The next meeting is scheduled for December 17.

The data also stated that over the months, the grievance redressal system has gradually improved. “A year ago, of the 2,91,602 complaints received, 9,858 were pending. The redressal stood at 94.5% then. This month, so far, the same has improved to 96.2% with the departments clearing 3,89,640 of the 4,05,137 complaints,” a government spokesperson said.

As per rule, a complaint must be resolved within 15 days of receiving it. This is the rule specified by t he administrative reforms department, in charge of monitoring the redressal system.

The government also shared department-wise complaint data of the Delhi Police, according to which 39,449 complaints were received between February 2015 and November 16, 2018. Of these, 1,937 complaints were pending. It stated 94,205 complaints were received by the municipal corporations led by the BJP.

In the meeting, Kejriwal said, “Since the government stands committed towards public welfare, it is important that grievances are duly addressed.” Delhi Jal Board (DJB)