How Delhi Bureaucrats Increase Covid Risk

How Delhi Bureaucrats Increase Covid Risk

As the careless bureaucrats of Delhi are forcing people to travel and appear in their offices to register their complaints during the Covid pandemic, I sent the following letter to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

To                                                                                                                                                 November 22, 2020

Mr. Arvind Kejriwal                                                                                
Chief Minister, Delhi Government
Delhi

Dear Mr. Kejriwal,

I am a journalist and founder of the humanitarian organization RMN Foundation. This is to inform you that the Delhi bureaucrats are ignoring the coronavirus calamity in the city and calling citizens to their offices to receive their grievances.

Instead of using digital / virtual modes of communications, the officials are forcing citizens to appear before them. Some of these officials are so careless that they refuse to accept public complaints filed through the online Public Grievance Monitoring System (PGMS) of Delhi Government.

I am particularly concerned about the bureaucrats at the office of the Registrar Cooperative Societies (RCS), which is one of the most corrupt departments of Delhi. I have already complained to you about rampant corruption at the RCS office with the request to send this corruption case to the Petitions Committee of Delhi Assembly. 

Since I run a community-driven online anti-corruption service ‘Clean House’ for the residents of cooperative group housing societies (CGHS) of Delhi, I have to frequently interact with the RCS office. But the RCS officials brazenly refuse to accept and acknowledge my communications sent through email or the PGMS.

Most of these bureaucrats are so unskilled that they cannot write even a few sentences in response to public complaints. They, therefore, call citizens for physical meetings in their offices while there is an extreme risk in traveling and meetings during the Covid-19 pandemic.

As the negligence of Delhi bureaucrats is a serious cause of concern, I request you to introduce technology culture in Delhi Government offices – including the RCS office – by providing formal training to the officials on digital / online communications.

You should also make arrangements to teach them English language skills so that they could address public grievances efficiently. I also request you to take punitive actions against all those bureaucrats who fail to accept and respond suitably to online / email communications received from citizens.

Meanwhile, you may please circulate formal instructions across all Delhi Government offices directing them to embrace digital communications and handle public complaints sent through email and PGMS and respond properly with unambiguous replies instead of sending curt, standard answers. As part of a tech-driven governance model, all the officials should also give the option to citizens to interact with them through online virtual meetings.

The introduction of technology in offices will also reduce the chances of corruption, as usually the government officials demand bribes when they meet people in their offices. This technology culture should continue in Delhi Government offices during and even after the coronavirus pandemic.

Please do let me know if you want my help in this cause aimed to save citizens from the brutal bureaucracy of Delhi.

Rakesh Raman [ Please click here to see the full profile. ]
463, DPS Apts., Plot No. 16, Sector 4
Dwarka, Phase I
New Delhi 110 078, INDIA
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