Save MPs, MLAs’ numbers, don’t miss calls, babus told in Haryana

Bhartesh Singh Thakur
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 27

After MLAs raised a hue and cry over babus not listening to them and the matter was brought even to the notice of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, the Haryana Government has formulated a standard operating procedure (SOP) of sorts for officers on storing phone numbers of elected representatives and attending calls from them without fail.

As per instructions issued by Deputy Secretary to the Haryana Government, Political and Parliament Affairs Department, to all Divisional Commissioners, DCs, Commissioners of Police, SPs, Commissioners of MCs and Chief Executive Officers of Zila Parishad, dated May 24, officials have been asked to “obtain mobile numbers currently in use by all elected representatives” in their jurisdiction and “save (them) as contacts” in their phone.

As per the directions, “Every phone call from any public representative should invariably be responded to immediately”. A procedure has also been formulated in case an official is busy in a meeting or in the middle of some urgent work and can’t take the call from MP or MLA. “If it is not possible to take such a call due to any reason, an SMS must be sent to that effect. The SMS should be followed up with a phone call at the earliest and no later than a couple of hours,” said the instructions.

The order stated that if the phone of an elected representative was unanswered or remains unreachable, yet ‘another SMS to this effect must be sent for record’. “It is mentioned that lack of communication between elected representatives and officers is always a matter of concern and is especially important during Covid,” said the order.

MLAs first raised the issue of officers not listening to them with Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta during a recent videoconference meeting. Gupta then informed the CM about the same.