Delay in decision-making affects administration, CM tells officials

 Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar on Monday admitted that the top bureaucracy in the State were shying away from taking quick decisions, affecting the administration.

“Of late, the officials are reluctant to take quick decisions. There has been a delay in taking decisions on important policy matters. I do not know the exact reason. It may be because they are scared of taking risk,” he stated in his opening remarks at a meeting of deputy commissioners, chief executive officers of zilla panchayats and heads of all the departments convened at the Vidhana Soudha.

The chief minister listed out issues that have remained unresolved due to delay in decision making: sand mining,  garbage disposal in Bangalore, piling up of files in various government departments, sanctioning fresh social security pensions, implementing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and distribution of Ashraya houses.

He told the officials to adopt corporate style of functioning, where decisions are taken on the spot.

Shettar said a lot of time gets wasted in seeking clarifications, both at the district land secretariat level.

Senior officials should directly contact those in the field, get necessary clarifications and take quick decisions, he suggested. He gave an example of a woman who had to run from pillar to post for 30 years to get compensation from the government for acquiring her 10-acre land.

“Her file was kept pending despite various courts upholding her claim for higher compensation. I do not know how many such files are pending in the government.”
“Some officials have a tendency to harass people. Decision on issues that directly affect common man should be taken quickly,” he stated.

Shettar said the State lacked a uniform policy on sand mining. While some districts were taking action against illegal sand miners, the others were not.
The construction industry will be affected if the issue is not resolved soon, Shettar warned.