Starting June 1, Delhiites will be able to walk into the offices of Delhi government officials and Ministers between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. every weekday, without a prior appointment, to air their grievances.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday ordered the Chief Secretary to instruct all officials, apart from those posted in field positions like teachers and doctors, to be present at their desks from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday to Friday to meet the public.
Announcing the move, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that while Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Ministers, including Mr. Kejriwal, were already taking time out to meet the public, there had been complaints of officials being inaccessible. He said that there had been a “disconnect from the public”.
In his instruction to the Chief Secretary, Mr. Kejriwal wrote: “I have received several complaints from the public that officers are not easily accessible for redressal of their grievances.”
The CM said that officials must not schedule any meetings in the hour meant for public dealing.
Mr. Kejriwal also asked the Chief Secretary to set up a helpline where people would be able to complain in case any officer was not available. The CM also said that a log must be maintained of who the official met, what the complaint was and what action was taken.
Not the first time
Mr. Sisodia said the details of the programme will be announced soon.
For instance, while District Magistrates and officials of the Education and Health Departments would be available at their respective offices, Ministers would most likely meet people at their camp offices and not the Secretariat.
Mr. Sisodia said that while Ministers already met the public, the new initiative would make it mandatory.
This is not the first time that the AAP government has tried to put in place a formal system to meet the public.
After coming to power in 2015, the government had said that officials would meet the public from noon to 1 p.m., but the initiative failed to take off.
Recently, the CM had come under attack by his former Cabinet Minister Kapil Mishra, who was sacked earlier this month, for allegedly not spending enough time at his office.
Mr. Mishra had accused Mr. Kejriwal of going to his office only twice in the past one year.
Officials in the government, however, said that not only was the allegation false, but that Mr. Kejriwal has been meeting the public almost every day.
An official siad that it was through these informal janta durbars that the complaint about officials being inaccessible reached the CM.
