Jan Sunwai camp attendance mandatory; action against absent officers: Delhi CMO

New Delhi, Aug 26 (PTI) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has issued stern directions for effective 'Jan Sunwai' (public hearing) camps at the district revenue offices, warning disciplinary action against officers skipping the weekly hearings, an official statement said on Tuesday.

The chief minister said that addressing problems faced by people of Delhi is the top priority of her government. The Jan Sunwai camps will be made more effective so that they become a channel of direct communication between the government and the people instead of being treated as a mere formality, she said, according to a statement from the chief minister's office (CMO).

Officers must understand that their presence is part of their accountability to the public, and it cannot be ignored under any circumstances.

After the stern directions from the chief minister, a fresh order has been issued by the divisional commissioner for the mandatory presence of designated officers at these camps, said the statement.

Attendance of designated officers at the Jan Sunwai camps in the districts has now been made mandatory, it said, and added, "If a designated officer is unable to attend, they must obtain prior permission from the district magistrate concerned. Absence without such permission will invite disciplinary action." The copies of the new order have been sent to all the heads of the departments as well as to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Development Authority (DDA), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and the Delhi Cantonment Board for compliance, the statement said.

The Delhi chief minister, in a meeting with the divisional commissioner and all the district magistrates on April 7, had directed that at least one public hearing camp be held every week in each district.

She had also instructed that inter-departmental coordination committee meetings be convened regularly in various sub-divisions. The chief minister made it clear that only designated officers would attend these meetings for direct dialogue with the public, it said.

Sending representatives or subordinate staff would not be acceptable under any circumstances, she directed.

It was, however, observed by the divisional commissioner's office that some officers and staff from various departments had failed to attend public hearing camps and coordination meetings, it said.

The divisional commissioner has now ordered each department to nominate officers at the sub-divisional or deputy commissioner level to regularly attend these meetings, it said.

The order also laid down that one public hearing camp and one inter-departmental coordination meeting must be held every week in every district, without fail.

In line with the directions of the chief minister and the divisional commissioner, the district magistrates have also issued orders for strict compliance with Jan Sunwai camp-related directions. PTI VIT VIT KSS KSS