AHMEDABAD: Over allegations of several officials not responding to phone calls of public representatives and remaining inaccessible, the BJP-led Gujarat government has issued a
circular mandating the employees to save telephone numbers of legislatures and answer their calls.
“If they (politicians) call the officials on the landline numbers during office hours and under some circumstances, they are not available in their office or are in a meeting and are unable to talk to the representatives, whenever the official returns or gets free, the call has to be returned immediately,” the
circular issued on Tuesday states.
According to the circular, “If the personal assistant or secretary of an official takes the call, they would have to keep a record of the phone call and bring it to the notice of the official concerned”. It also mandates the employees of various government agencies and public corporations to save the phone numbers of public representatives including district panchayat heads, MLAs, mayors and Members of Parliament.
The government said the motive behind the move was to maintain a healthy relationship between the
legislative and executives and prevent any standoffs. However, according to sources, in state BJP meetings, several leaders used to often complain that public work in their constituency was getting affected as some government officials were not answering their calls and at times remained unavailable.
Sources said the state BJP leadership is aiming to resolve the issue before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
When BJP state president CR Patil first assumed the office, he had asked the party legislative to meet at the state headquarters to discuss public works in their constituencies and raise the issues if they are facing any.
In the last paragraph, the circular had also stated, “All state government departments are ordered to firmly and correctly comply with the foregoing instructions, as well as to inform and issue relevant instructions to all heads of departments, officials under boards, corporations, and municipalities under their authority.”
‘Healthy relationship’
The government said the motive behind the move was to maintain a healthy relationship between the legislative and executives and prevent any standoffs. However, sources say in state BJP meetings, leaders would complain that public work in their constituency was getting affected as some government officials were not answering their calls and at times remained unavailable.