Dec. 25: If the bureaucracy is not performing as it should, blame it on boredom.

Sivasagar deputy commissioner K.K. Dwivedi handed out copies of a questionnaire to 40-odd officers of various government offices in the district recently to find out what they like or hate about their jobs.

The majority of them admitted that drudgery had set in at all levels, making government offices inefficient.

Around 80 per cent of departmental heads in Sivasagar identified shortage of resources as a major deterrent in delivering quality service to the people.

An equal percentage of officers said they did not like the work they were being asked to do. Some admitted to hating their jobs after years of serving in the same capacity.

The refrain was: “We do not get challenging assignments. So how can you expect us to be excited?”

Another common complaint was about inadequate resources — manpower, funds and infrastructure.

Dwivedi’s questionnaire contained four queries:

• What is your aim in life and what ethics do you follow?
• Are you satisfied with the post and position that you are currently holding?
• What are the capabilities, strengths and weaknesses of your department?
• How do you visualise the building of a peaceful society?

Replying to the first question, almost 95 per cent of the respondents said they wanted to work for the welfare of citizens.

All the officers called for peace and tranquillity to be restored in reply to the final query.

The second and third questions extracted the most revealing — and significant — responses.

Dwivedi wasn’t surprised. “The officers focused on shortage of resources as the main reason for their frustration. But they also reiterated their willingness to work hard for the betterment of society. I must say the feedback has been thought-provoking, interesting and, most importantly, very clear,” he said.

The officers said working at the same levels and doing the same work for years had made them grumpy.

“We will look into this aspect and try to change their style of functioning. The solution lies in adopting modern methods of governance,” the deputy commissioner said.

On whether the corporate model would be suitable for government departments, Dwivedi said: “We have to try out new things. There are times when officers have to take up assignments that are not to their liking. Doing it regularly could make them lethargic. We will have to give serious thought to how we can improve the situation.”

Sivasagar district has already pioneered the implementation of e-governance and set up sanwad kendras. This has been a boon for villagers, who previously had to travel long distances and do the rounds of government offices for any official work.