Several senior officials and heads of different departments were absent on Monday, inspite of a State government circular stating that officials must be in office every Monday without fail. The State government had also asked the heads of departments to avoid holding meetings on Mondays and to be in their offices and make themselves available to the public. Deputy Director of Public Instruction and Education Officers, Joint Director of Agriculture, Deputy Director of Food and Civil Supplies Department, Commissioner of Mysuru City Corporation, Deputy Director of Horticulture, Social Welfare Officer, Deputy Director of Women and Child Development department, Executive Engineer of Irrigation Department, and District Health Officer were not at their seats when this correspondent visited their offices on Monday.
Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru district C. Shikha was in Nanjangud to attend the progress review meeting there under the chairmanship of V. Srinivas Prasad, Minister for Revenue and also Mysuru district in-charge Minister. Chief Executive Officer of Mysuru Zilla Panchayat Gopal was also not in office today as he was in Nanjangud for the meeting. Additional Deputy Commissioner Archana was in office all day in spite of poor health as the Deputy Commissioner was not in office. A few members of the public who had come to visit the ZP office, Corporation office, Agriculture office and Horticulture office expressed their displeasure over the unavailability of officials. They suggested that the government should instruct the officials to be available to the public compulsorily three days in a week so that people could get their problems cleared.
However, they could understand the unavailability of officials today as many had gone to Suttur to take part in the function there.
According to a top official of the district administration, many officials including those heading the Horticulture and Agriculture departments have been asked to accompany Ministers who visited the Suttur jathra mahotsava on Monday. The Joint Director of Agriculture had attended a video conference in the morning and left for Nanjangud to accompany the Minister of State for Agriculture Krishna Byre Gowda to a programme.
