Collector warns officials over poor response to grievances

District Collector M.N. Harendhira Prasad has warned officials that strict action will be taken if they fail to improve their response to public grievances. He made the remarks during the Public Grievance Redressal System (PGRS) meeting held on Monday at the Collectorate conference hall.

While reviewing the petitions received last week, the Collector expressed dissatisfaction over the way departments were handling complaints. He questioned why citizens were forced to approach higher authorities for endorsements. He also noted that reports revealed poor-quality resolutions, especially in cases linked to the Police Department and the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC).

The Collector pulled up the Town Planning Department for submitting careless replies. He directed the Assistant Town Planning Officer to contact the concerned officials immediately and warned that repeated negligence would result in suspension.

During the session, the Collector received fresh petitions and reviewed pending issues. He instructed officials to improve their interaction with citizens. He advised them to speak directly with complainants over the phone to resolve problems effectively. “My patience should not be tested,” he cautioned.

The PGRS meeting recorded a total of 315 complaints from the public. Of these, 119 were related to the Revenue Department, 85 to GVMC, 21 to the Police Department, and 90 to various other departments.

Joint Collector K. Mayur Ashok and DRO B.H. Bhavani Shankar assisted the Collector in receiving petitions. Officials from all district departments, including Tahsildars, MPDOs, and JDs, also took part virtually.