In order to bring the people of Delhi closer to its Government, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has issued an order to all the Ministers and officers to open their doors to the public for an hour on weekdays. It is the Janata Darbar where people would not have to take any prior appointments to seek meetings with anyone from the Government. The recent issue of unavailability of medicines in Government hospitals, addressed by the Chief Minister was also brought up at a public meeting at the former’s residence in Civil lines.
Kejriwal has directed Chief Secretary MM Kutty to make formal arrangement for the meetings that would address people’s grievances.
“The move has come, following complaints to AAP Ministers, including the CM, that officers were not accessible to the common people,” Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said in a Press conference on Wednesday.
This move comes weeks after the civic elections in the city where the main rival BJP swept away the polls.
“During our visits to several parts of the city in past few days, people complained of a disconnect between the Government and the masses…thus we introspected and arrived at making these meeting compulsory. It was in view of this that the CM had ordered an hour-long meeting every day”, Sisodia said.
“Ministers and officers will meet the people without prior appointments from 10 am to 11 am in their respective offices from Monday to Friday,” Sisodia added.
The Deputy CM said the decision would not be applicable to the Government’s field staff such as doctors and teachers. However, the people could discuss any issue at the concerned departments.
The officials may, however, continue to give appointments to people and others at different time periods. But the allotted time slot in the morning has to remain compulsorily for commoners.
“The CM has directed the Chief Secretary to ask officers not to schedule their meetings between 10 am and 11 am so that they can address people’s grievances. Exceptions will only be granted if an officer is on leave,” he said.
In his note to MM 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 concerned Minister.
Kejriwal said a record should also be maintained of the grievances and of action taken.
Earlier, the Aam Aadmi Party Government had ordered officers to meet people from 12 to 1 pm. Defending that the new order would be “effective” comparatively, Sisodia said the Government would make sure its new decision is implemented.
Sisodia said the Government did not apprehend a “huge rush” in Government offices because of the public meetings.
“We have not centralised the public meeting at one place. If someone has a grievance related to the office of a sub- divisional magistrate, they would meet the SDM concerned,” he said.