Chandigarh: Punjab governor of Chandigarh administrator Gulab Chand Kataria on Friday called upon officers of the Chandigarh administration and the municipal corporation to shun “babugiri” style of functioning and adopt a more citizen-centric and responsive approach while delivering public services. Speaking at the inaugural session of the Urban Innovating Summit organised by the MC in collaboration with Technomedia, Kataria urged officers to introspect, innovate and change behavioural patterns that hinder effective service delivery.“Senior officers should reflect on how they would like to be treated when they visit govt offices after retirement,” he said. He added that while discharging services, especially those related to common and poor residents, officers must avoid high-handed behaviour, superiority complex and poor coordination among departments. He emphasised that officers should feel the pain of the people and show genuine commitment towards resolving their issues promptly.“With urban innovation, self-innovation is direly required. While discharging public-centric services, it is very much required to feel the pain of poor people,” he said. Kataria criticised the practice of keeping people waiting outside offices and called for respectful and timely service delivery. He said officers must not allow feelings of “chhota aur bada” and remember that people choose them for public service, which must be carried out with honesty, dedication and promptness.The administrator also pressed for a renewed focus on citizen-centric services, particularly improvements in public transport in Chandigarh. He said public transport should not be treated as a revenue-generating activity but as an essential service that must remain affordable to even the poorest resident. To ensure effectiveness, he said the system’s frequency must be prompt so that commuters do not have to wait.Kataria further criticised departments for repeatedly digging up areas in multiple locations to trace pipelines or execute repairs without proper planning, drawings or inter-departmental coordination. He said such digging should be done only according to a clear plan that identifies the exact location requiring work, rather than opening up large areas unnecessarily.He also raised concerns about streetlights remaining switched on during the day in many parts of the city. In addition, he highlighted issues related to park maintenance and the need for govt offices to use lighting judiciously. Officers, he said, should maximise the use of natural sunlight during working hours to conserve electricity.Expressing concern about rising pollution levels in Chandigarh, Kataria advocated mandatory cycling for all residents, including officers, at least once a week. He said cycling in the city had become associated with status and fitness, but it should instead be adopted universally to break class distinctions. MSID:: 129558006 413 |
