According to an official statement from the state government on Wednesday, the Yogi Adityanath-led government of Uttar Pradesh has ordered all departmental officers to answer calls from public representatives or to leave a message if they are unable to do so due to special circumstances.
Officials said that the government has given a strong message to the officers who do not pick up the calls of public representatives (Members of Parliament and Legislature) and ordered them to follow the courtesy and permissible protocol towards the members of Parliament and Legislature.
As per the order, action will be taken against officers not doing so on a priority basis under the relevant provisions. The officers have been given 15 days’ time by the government to save the mobile numbers of public representatives on their phones.
It is worth mentioning that on Tuesday, a member had raised this matter before the Chief Minister, to which Finance Minister Suresh Khanna assured that strict steps will be taken in this regard. In the same sequence, an order in this regard was issued by the government late in the evening to the Additional Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary and Secretaries of all the departments, the official statement said.
The order claims that despite numerous orders to respect public representatives, compliance is not occurring. The issued directive instructs all district and sub-district officers of various departments to be directed to compulsorily save the CUG mobile numbers of Members of Parliament and Legislatures from their regions, along with any other mobile numbers noted by them, in their mobile phones, the official release said. This is in response to complaints received from public representatives.
Additionally, in situations where they are unable to answer calls due to important meetings or court appearances, they should ensure that a message is sent along with the callback information to ensure awareness.
The order also specifies that strict action will be taken by the government against officers who do not adhere to the order. According to the provisions, in cases where representatives’ calls are not answered or a call back is not made, action will be taken on a priority basis.