Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday told district collectors and superintendents of police (SPs) to maintain proper conduct while dealing with the public and people’s representatives and to ensure prompt delivery of services.
“We should all be committed to our work for the people irrespective of the position we hold. You should listen to the people and their representatives patiently and try to resolve the issues they raise. This is the bedrock of good governance,” he said while inaugurating the conference of district collectors and SPs at the Lok Seva Bhavan here.
Concerns over bureaucrats’ behaviour towards public representatives have triggered several controversies in the past. A police inspector once “misbehaved” with Majhi when he was an MLA. The Assembly, too, has seen repeated uproars over allegations of disrespect by officials, with instances of district collectors giving MLAs and other elected representatives the cold shoulder. A recent photograph of Cuttack district collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde sitting cross-legged next to governor Dr Hari Babu Kambhampati has also gone viral.
Majhi urged district collectors to weed out corruption and work to improve the lives of ordinary people, saying corruption had tarnished the government’s image.
Reiterating his government’s commitment to Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Biswas and Sabka Prayas in line with the Prime Minister’s vision, Majhi said: “Officials should take steps expeditiously to implement the decisions and policies of the government.” He also pressed for more field visits, adding: “Seeing is believing, and we believe what we see.”
Outlining the government’s priorities, he said plans were afoot to promote industrial development in all 30 districts and asked collectors to help entrepreneurs strictly adhere to rules and regulations.
Stressing tech-driven governance, Majhi asked officials to support tribal communities in collecting and marketing minor forest produce as per established norms.