KOCHI: Keralites’ colonial hangover of using ‘sir’ or ‘madam’ in government offices appears to be disappearing as local bodies have banned such usage. Mathur panchayat in Palakkad district kicked off the trend. Eventually, several grama panchayats and block panchayats started implementing it.
According to the local bodies that decided against using such honorifics, only one or two applicants still use such words in the offices.
“We never thought that the move would receive such a reception from the public. No applicant is now using ‘sir’ or ‘madam’ in his/her application. We are trying to treat everyone the same way, irrespective of their post or hierarchy in the office. We are happy that the message we tried to send out to the public has reached them,” said Mathur panchayat president Pravitha Muraleedharan.
Paravoor block panchayat in Ernakulam district, which also implemented the initiative, seems to have got a similar response from the public. “Now, the visitors address the officer using their designations. Some of them address the officers and people’s representatives as ‘chetta’ or ‘chechi’. We are getting one or two applications a month that start with salutations.
A large number of people have already accepted the move, and this has helped end the distance between the public and the officials,” said Paravoor block panchayat president Simna Santhosh. Nearly 50 local self-government offices have so far decided to do away with the usage of sir and madam in the state. Signboards have installed in offices to spread awareness which suggest people to use the designations of the officers. “We have also created awareness among staff at the Akshaya centres to avoid salutations as a large number of applications come through such centres. We are happy that all are following it,” said an official.