NEW DELHI: The Centre has reminded its officials that elected representatives are not to be kept waiting or fobbed off with boilerplate replies that say much and mean little.
In a fresh set of consolidated guidelines, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has instructed ministries, departments, state governments and Union Territory administrations to follow “proper procedure” while dealing with communications from Members of Parliament and state legislators, warning against delays and familiar bureaucratic foot-dragging.
The guidelines underline that letters and representations from MPs and MLAs must be handled promptly and through the appropriate channel, with the DoPT making it explicit that “dilatory tactics” will not be tolerated. Delays in responding to such correspondence, the department has stressed, are unacceptable and undermine the spirit of democratic accountability.
Under the instructions, clear lines of responsibility have been laid down. If a communication from an MP is addressed to a minister, the reply must come from the minister concerned—no delegation downward.
Letters from individuals who are not MPs, however, should be answered under the signature of an officer of secretary rank. Heads of attached or subordinate offices, public sector undertakings, financial institutions, including nationalised banks, and division or branch heads within ministries and departments have been told to reply personally to communications addressed to them.
The DoPT has also frowned upon the routine use of pre-printed or standardised replies to MPs, reiterating that information sought by a member should ordinarily be supplied unless it is of such a nature that it would have been denied even if raised on the floor of Parliament. In other words, stock phrases and vague assurances are no substitute for substantive answers.
Timelines, too, have been spelt out. Every communication from an MP, a member of the public, a recognised association or a public body—must be acknowledged within 15 days, followed by a substantive reply within the next 15 days, according to the guidelines. Where a request cannot be acceded to, the reasons must be conveyed “courteously”, signalling that tone matters as much as content.
If a delay is unavoidable, officials are required to send an interim reply within 15 days, clearly indicating when a final response can be expected. Communications wrongly addressed to a department must be transferred to the appropriate division within five working days, with the sender informed of the transfer.
The DoPT has also advised officials to look at requests from members of the public from the “user’s point of view” rather than purely from what is administratively convenient. Reiterating a series of past circulars, it has warned that violations of these instructions will be viewed seriously. Any breach of the relevant Conduct Rules, once established through due process, could invite disciplinary action.