Changes policy pecking order that earlier required moving up the food chain
Keeping in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s style of accessibility to his officers, Delhi Chief Secretary (CS) DM Spolia will meet his officers and subordinates on a daily basis. The CS will also be available to the general public on Wednesday to hear their grievances. The decision to be available to his officers was taken to expedite and fast-track decision-making and ensure better public delivery.
At a Heads of Department (HoDs) meeting last month, Spolia decided to meet officials everyday between 10.30 am and 11.30 am. “In addition to the aforesaid stipulated meeting time, officers can meet the Chief Secretary at a mutually agreed upon time. In emergency cases, the officers can meet the Chief Secretary any time of the day,” the minutes of the meeting read. When asked, Spolia said senior officials often come to discuss on files. “Sometimes they discuss a shortage of manpower in their department, other times it’s a courtesy call,” Spolia added.
The decision was taken by the Chief Secretary to meet his senior officials, HoDs and secretaries of departments for an hour everyday to do away with the old practice of making officials and subordinates wait. Several senior officials had bewailed the precious man hours were whiled away waiting outside the Chief Secretary’s office.
While officials said the new initiatives by the Chief Secretary are necessary to galvanise the administrative machinery, these will help iron out the departmental creases. The Chief Secretary had
earlier instructed officers, including principal secretaries, secretaries, HODs, CMDs of autonomous bodies and corporations under the Delhi Government, to be available in their offices at designated hours to meet the public. Officials have been instructed not to schedule any meeting between 11 am and 1 pm every day, except Wednesday. In unavoidable circumstances, the second-in-command should be available to meet the public.
Officials said that janta durbars by top political bosses do have a symbolic effect. However, one requires at least three-four minutes hearing the grievance of an individual. “In one-and-a-half hour, one cannot meet more than 30 people. Even those complaints would ultimately be routed to the department officers concerned for action,” informed officials.