Burdwan, Feb. 21: Not for the first time, the behaviour of government employees is under the scanner here.

About a year after the district administration conducted a manners class for its Group D and clerical staff, it issued a circular today asking all officers and employees to behave well with people who come to them with problems.

Earlier this month, Sahijada Begum of Dubrajdighi ? on the outskirts of Burdwan town ? complained to Election Commission observer R.N. Das about the head clerk of a subdivisional office.

Tapan Ganguly had turned Sahijada, 32, away when she approached him to get herself enlisted on the electoral rolls.

Under the election observer’s instruction, Das was made to apologise to Sahijada.

“Subsequently, we suspended the head clerk also under the instruction of the Election Commission,” district magistrate Subrata Gupta said.

He added: “We were receiving complaints that other employees in our various departments were also behaving rudely with common people. So we warned our officers and employees through the circular.”

The circular says that any one found misbehaving with a tax payer would face “disciplinary action”.

The circular covers the four additional district magistrates, six subdivisional officers, 31 block development officers, 60 deputy magistrates and 1,500 employees.

The circular points out that there is extra pressure on the employees because of election-related work along with regular duty, but that does not mean they should be rude to others. “The role of employees should be positive. They should be calm, careful, modest and helpful. They should talk politely with the common people.”

Many people, an official admitted, are also being “mis- informed by employees in the absence of senior officials, who are busy with the rolls”.

Last May, the administration took up the training of about 23,000 Group D and clerical employees as part of a pilot project under a United Nations Development Programme plan (print of The Telegraph story on top).

At a camp, the employees were taught how to receive visitors, help them communicate their needs to the right officials, make telephone conversations “in a proper manner” and maintain good relations with colleagues.