Srinagar, July 15 (Scoop News) – Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today stressed on strengthening of mechanism for redressal of public grievances and said that besides Administrative Secretaries, Heads of Departments, Deputy Commissioners and district officers should undertake field visits and hear public grievances. “The need to gear up departments concerned with delivery of essential services like Health, Water Supply, CAPD, Power, Education etc. is of paramount importance”, he emphasized.
Addressing the Administrative Secretaries at a meeting here in which Chief Secretary, S.S. Kapur also participated, the Chief Minister told them, “we cannot deliver according to the expectations of the people unless we recognize our responsibilities and learn from the experience.” He said that the political authorities in the Government and the Administration have to complement each other in improving the delivery of public service and ensuring good governance.
Referring to the recent law and order problem and the disruption in normal working, the Chief Minister impressed upon the Secretaries to redouble their efforts to make up for the lost time and redress the public grievances.
“The ultimate responsibility of making government functionaries proactive towards public service and ensuring implementation of developmental schemes lies on your shoulders”, he told the Administrative Secretaries and directed them to make one hour available for public hearing between 2 to 3 p.m. on every working day as a necessary and regular part of their working schedule. “No meetings or other business should be fixed during this one hour”, he said and directed them to dedicate this time wholly and solely to meet and hear the pubic who visit the Secretariat.
Omar directed for initiating preparedness drive for holding Local Bodies and Panchayat Elections as per schedule this year. “You should start the necessary field work in this regard gearing up all concerned departments so that elections are held before the yearend”.
The Chief Minister asked the Chief Secretary to hold monthly meetings with the Deputy Commissioners at divisional levels to review progress on delivery mechanism and sorting out issues pertaining to the departments. “Such meetings should particularly focus on key public service sectors like CAPD, Health, Education, Power, PHE, R&B etc. The report of every such meeting and steps taken to address public demands should reach to me positively”, the Chief Minister directed.
He laid stress on e-governance and new initiatives in the IT Sector to make administration more effective, responsive and delivering as per public expectations.
Omar impressed upon the Secretaries to ensure attendance of employees in the offices and exhort them to discharge their responsibilities with honesty and dedication for the benefit of people at large.
Speaking in the meeting, the Chief Secretary assured the Chief Minister that the State Administration will follow the directions in letter and spirit and put in every effort to carry forward the developmental agenda of the Government successfully. “In fact much headway has been achieved on the development front during past one and half years of the government under your leadership”, he said adding that administration will carry forward the policy-programmes of the government with added zeal and rise up to the occasion to come up to the expectations of the public.