No appointments: Bengal officers ordered to meet citizens twice a week to resolve issues
The West Bengal government has issued a directive under the "Apnar Sarkar Apnar Pashe" initiative, mandating all officials to hold public grievance hearings twice a week. Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal announced that government offices will meet citizens every Tuesday and Thursday from 10:30 am to 1 pm. No appointments are necessary for these sessions.
To ensure strict compliance, officials are instructed to avoid scheduling any meetings, field tours, or external engagements during these hours. They must prominently display their contact numbers and email addresses at office premises and departmental websites. Complaints from these meetings will be logged into the enhanced Apnar Sarkar Apnar Pashe portal for continuous review by divisional commissioners and district magistrates.
The requirement to hold these open-door sessions is in addition to existing online grievance portals, ensuring citizens without digital access still have access to face-to-face assistance. Those obligated to hold the meetings include divisional commissioners, district magistrates, municipal commissioners, sub-divisional officers, block development officers, police station officers, superintendents of police, and divisional forest officers.
The Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms will monitor officer attendance and the speed of resolving public complaints.
Written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
