VIJAYAWADA: Observing that Sub-Registrars sitting on an elevated podium covered with red cloth and surrounded by a partition suggests a negative connotation of inaccessibility and citizen-unfriendly governance, the State government decided to dispense with this system.
Special Chief Secretary (Revenue) RP Sisodia issued a circular to this effect on Sunday.
According to the circular, the chair of the Sub-Registrar should be placed at floor level instead of an elevated position. There should be no partitions or barriers other than the office table between the visiting parties and the Sub-Registrars in the Sub-Registrar Offices (SROs). Additionally, sufficient seating provisions must be provided for visitors at the SROs.
Sub-Registrars are required to treat visitors with respect and courtesy. If visitors have to wait for a long time, they should be offered drinking water and, if possible, tea or coffee.
Sub-Registrars are instructed to comply with these changes immediately. It was noted that Revenue Minister Anagani Satya Prasad and Special Chief Secretary Sisodia, during inspections of SROs, observed the conventional practice of using a podium covered with red cloth, with a wooden railing or partition around the registration officer’s table. People, who visit the SRO for registration purposes, had to stand throughout the entire process, as the table was placed at a high elevation, necessitating them stand before the Sub-Registrar.
Emphasising that such a feudal and outdated arrangement creates an intimidating and uncomfortable environment for visitors, Special Chief Secretary Sisodia issued the circular scrapping the system with immediate effect.
The circular highlighted that this situation is particularly unfortunate considering that most visitors to the Sub-Registrar’s office come to register documents that generate revenue for the State government. In fairness, these citizens deserve full respect and courtesy, as they contribute to the State’s financial resources and should be treated as valued clients.
In the interest of the public and to provide citizen-friendly services, the State government has decided to do away with the existing system.
‘People deserve respect as they generate revenue’
It is a more piquant situation if we consider the fact that most of these people visit the Sub-Registrar’s Office for registrations through which revenue is generated for the government. Hence, they deserve full respect and courtesy since they are contributing to the financial resources, the circular read