Presence of designated officers compulsory at public hearing camps in Delhi

New orders have been issued to make the weekly public hearing camps in Delhi, held under district revenue offices, more effective and meaningful by making the attendance of the designated officers at these camps mandatory, the Chief Minister’s Office said on Tuesday.

In case, a designated official is not in a position to attend the respective public hearing, they must obtain prior permission from the concerned District Magistrate, or else absence without such a permission will invite disciplinary action.

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As per the CMO, the Divisional Commissioner has issued an order in this regar, and the copies have also been sent to all the concerned department heads, as well as to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Development Authority (DDA), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and the Delhi Cantonment Board.

In this regard, CM Rekha Gupta has said that addressing people’s problems is a top priority, and public hearing camps, she emphasized, will be made more effective for this purpose.

She also underlined that a public hearing is not a mere formality, but a direct channel of communication between the government and the people.

Officers must understand that their presence is part of their accountability to the public, and it cannot be ignored under any circumstances.

It was on April 7, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, in a meeting with the Divisional Commissioner and all District Magistrates, had directed that at least one public hearing camp be held every week in each revenue district.

CM had also instructed that inter-departmental coordination committee meetings be convened regularly in various sub-divisions.

Gupta made it very clear that only designated officers must attend these forums for direct dialogue with the public, and sending representatives, or subordinate staff would not be acceptable under any circumstances.

During a review meeting on 4 June, the CM once again stressed that if a designated officer is unable to attend, prior permission from the concerned District Magistrate is mandatory, and officers absent without permission will face disciplinary action.

Following these directions, the DC’s office found that some officers and staff from various departments failed to attend public hearing camps, and coordination meetings.

Expressing serious concern, the Divisional Commissioner has now ordered each department to nominate officers at the sub-divisional, or Deputy Commissioner level who will regularly attend, while departments must ensure that nominated officers remain present at the camps.

The order further states that across all the districts, one public hearing camp and one inter-departmental coordination meeting must be held every week without fail.