Midnapore/Behrampore, Oct. 23: The creaking wood-door letterbox outside their office they know, but not the mailbox only a mouse-click away.

Tech-challenged block development officers are now posing a challenge to their bosses.

Scores of BDOs are under the scanner for their inability to access e-mails.

In a circular sent to the East Midnapore district magistrate recently, panchayat department secretary M.N. Roy pointed out that his office had sent several e-mails to the BDOs seeking various information from the BDOs but got no reply.

“It is surprising to note that the BDOs not only ignored the letters? they have not even opened their e-mails to check the contents. This proves that the BDOs do not open their e-mails regularly, though the government has provided them with mail IDs,” the panchayat secretary wrote.

Roy also pointed out that there have also been instances of requests from BDOs to send fax messages on matters that have already been e-mailed to them.

He asked the East Midnapore district magistrate, Ramchandran Ranjit, to immediately arrange for training of BDOs in the basics of computer and ensure that they do not waste time wasting paper. “All necessary information and documents would have to stored in computers, instead of filing them. All BDOs must check their e-mails at least twice a day,” the circular said.

Admitting having received the circular, Ranjit said the telecom network was so poor that it was often impossible to send e-mails. “I myself can use the e-mail for only 10 days a month. We are never able to contact, say, the Patashpur block. The network needs to be augmented first.”

However, Goutam Kar, the general manager of the BSNL’s Kharagpur telecommunications district, said the situation was not so bad. “It is not possible that people are not being able to operate their e-mail or access the Internet days on end. However, we are trying to improve our services,” he added.

In Murshidabad, there has not been any circular from the panchayat secretary. But district magistrate N. Manjunatha Prasad has already arranged for BDOs’ training in handling the Net. “It is true that many of our BDOs are not computer savvy and are not using the e-mail. But I have already told them that they will have learn to do it,” he said.

“We have 15 officers, who joined recently. Many of them don’t use e-mails. They are being trained. All the officers have been told to take the training seriously. BDOs of all 26 blocks have been asked to send their reports and communications through e-mails.”