Sri Vijaya Puram, June 5: Hindu Rashtra Shakti (HRS) has urged the Andaman and Nicobar Administration to ensure strict compliance with the designated public grievance hearing hour in government offices, alleging that the purpose of the initiative is being defeated due to the unavailability of officials during the scheduled time.
In a representation addressed to the Member of Parliament for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Lieutenant Governor, the Chief Secretary and the Assistant Secretary (AR Wing), HRS State President Rakeshwar Lall called for immediate intervention to ensure that government departments adhere to the Administration’s directive earmarking a specific hour for public interaction.
According to the representation, the Administration had earlier directed all government offices to reserve the period between 3 pm and 4 pm on working days for meetings with members of the public and for hearing grievances. The measure was intended to facilitate direct access to senior officials, including Secretaries, Directors and Heads of Departments, enabling citizens to seek redressal of issues without procedural hurdles.
Lall stated that the arrangement was designed to benefit islanders from different parts of the Union Territory, including residents travelling from distant islands, social workers and representatives of political organizations who often require direct interaction with government authorities.
However, he alleged that the intended objective of the directive is not being achieved in practice.
According to the HRS leader, recent visits to several government offices revealed that many officials continue to remain occupied with internal meetings, departmental reviews and other official engagements during the designated public interaction period. As a result, members of the public reportedly face difficulties in meeting officers and presenting their grievances.
The representation claimed that this situation has led to inconvenience for citizens who travel considerable distances to reach government offices, often incurring significant expenses and devoting substantial time in the hope of resolving their concerns.
Lall argued that when officials remain unavailable during the prescribed public grievance hour, the very rationale behind setting aside a dedicated period for citizen interaction is undermined.
He further stated that the Administration’s directive was introduced to improve accessibility, transparency and responsiveness within the public service delivery system. Failure to adhere to the schedule, he contended, weakens public confidence in administrative mechanisms and creates avoidable frustration among residents seeking assistance.
The HRS leader has therefore requested the Administration to issue fresh and unambiguous instructions to all Secretaries, Directors and Heads of Offices, directing them to reserve the period from 3 pm to 4 pm exclusively for public meetings and grievance hearings.
He has also sought a prohibition on scheduling internal meetings, official reviews or other departmental activities during the designated hour so that officers remain available to members of the public without interruption.
In addition, the representation has called for the introduction of accountability measures to ensure compliance. Lall suggested that suitable disciplinary consequences may be considered in cases where officers repeatedly fail to observe the prescribed public interaction schedule.
According to him, such measures would reinforce the seriousness of the Administration’s directive and help ensure that the system functions as originally intended.
The representation emphasized that strict implementation of the grievance-hearing hour would particularly benefit residents from remote islands and rural areas, many of whom depend on direct interaction with government departments to address administrative and civic issues.
Lall maintained that ensuring accessibility to officials during the notified period would strengthen public trust in governance and improve the effectiveness of citizen-centric service delivery.
He urged the Administration to take prompt action and ensure that its own orders are implemented “in letter and spirit” across all departments and offices.
The Administration has not yet issued any response to the representation. However, the issue is expected to draw attention to the effectiveness of existing public grievance mechanisms and the accessibility of government officials to citizens across the islands.
