Administrative overhaul

There is no second opinion on the fact that the Deputy Commissioner’s office is a major unit of the overall government machinery that makes things work, sometimes otherwise too. With the latest decision of the Assam cabinet to promote districts as “the fulcrum of administration” and to bring governance closer to the people, it is now expected that things will drastically improve at the district level so that citizens, particularly from the far-flung districts, do not have to take the trouble of travelling to Dispur to meet officers for various kinds of grievances. The DC’s office is undoubtedly a colonial legacy, serving many purposes, especially in a state like Assam. It is to the Deputy Commissioner that people often look to get things moving, to ensure the implementation of various government schemes, and also to seek justice. This has been happening because things do not move as they are supposed to at the two other levels of administration: the Sub-Divisional Officer’s (SDO) level and the Circle Officer’s level. There are numerous reports about allegations that citizens have to spend a lot of their valuable time to get things done at the SDO or Circle Officer’s level, and many times they are compelled to go to the next higher level—that of the DC—to get things done. At these various levels, including that of the DCs, the common answer to the question as to why things get delayed has been that there is a dearth of officers, as well as that “Sir is busy”! What people have understood from the first flash of news of Saturday’s cabinet decision is that the waiting time for things to move will now be reduced, if not gone altogether. The reason, as stated by the government, is that the number of officers—ADCs, SDOs, and Assistant Commissioners—at the district level will be increased or fixed as per size, requirements, and complexities. The cabinet has also approved district teams throughout the year in order to meet all kinds of emergencies. It is also important to note that the cabinet has approved another decision by which the criteria for performance appraisal of DCs for recording in the Annual Performance Appraisal Report will henceforth be based on specific monitorable parameters. Though the detailed parameters have not been made public, what the citizens should look for is whether a mechanism could be put in place to gather assessment reports from them too.