"Govt officials missing from duties on pretext of poll duties"

MANGALURU: City advocate Vivekananda Paniyala has urged the state chief election officer Sanjiv Kumar to streamline the deputation of officers on ‘election duty’. Averring that officials in certain government departments, organisations and urban local bodies are taking undue advantage of the ‘election season', the advocate said most of them are evading their routine day-to-day administrative functions, citing election duty and some are missing from their office on the same pretext.

In a copy of the letter available with STOI, Paniyala said absence of officials has become a daily affair in most public offices since the day of declaration of election to the state assembly. Some officers at the lower run are misinforming people claiming they are in-charge of election duty and therefore unable to attend even routine administrative issues, causing hardships to people, he said, adding some have even asked the people to come after declaration of results.

Noting that Mysuru regional commissioner Shivayogi C Kalasad responded positively to the issue when it was brought to his notice, Paniyala hoped a similar direction will be given to all heads of departments at the state level for benefit of all. He also urged Kumar to come out with a policy and specific rules in this regard which will help people in future elections also, failing which government functions of public authorities will remain paralysed during elections.

To address the issue, Paniyala suggested that photographs, name and designation of officers who are on election duty are displayed with the specified period of such assignment of special election duty. Notice boards should display special timings of visit such officers on election duty. Telephone number/contact details of senior officers to whom these officers on election duty are reporting should be displayed to enable people escalate issues, if any, to them, he said.

The names and designation of officers who are in-charge of the particular administrative tasks in place of officer on election duty should be displayed so that normal functions do not get disrupted, he said. Such steps are essential in that many sections of society such as those in armed forces, merchant navy, NRIs who visit their native places for a limited period will not only suffer, but also lose faith in public administration system due to uncertainty and dereliction of duty.

Citing a specific incident which prompted him to draw attention of the CEO Sanjiv, Paniyala told STOI that when he sent a junior to town planning section of Mangaluru City Corporation for a particular file, assistant town planning officer Manju took umbrage to Paniyala having complained to the commissioner about his absence from office for alleged election work and wrote adverse remarks on it. “If advocates do not raise voice against such apathy, no one will,” he added.