NOB_Hyderabad: A troubling trend has emerged in Telangana’s administration – files that gather dust for months at local offices start moving within hours after a call from the Collector or a complaint at Prajavani.
At Prajavani and at District Collectorates every Monday, hundreds of poor and middle class people queue up with the same complaint, “We went to MRO / Municipality / Panchayat 10 times, but work not done.”
Their works are simple – Aasara pension, ration card correction, Bhu Bharati land entry, pattadar passbook, mutation, house patta, birth certificate. As per norms, these should be disposed of in 15 to 30 days.
But at the field level, officials allegedly delay citing server issues, staff shortage or verification pending. The moment the same application is forwarded from Collectorate with a Prajavani stamp and a phone call seeking explanation, the same VRO, Panchayat Secretary or Municipal clerk clears it in a day.
“Our office has become a post office. Lower staff work only when Collector scolds them,” a senior official admitted on condition of anonymity.
Experts say this shows three problems:
- No Accountability: No one is punished for delaying files.
- Fear Culture: Lower officers avoid taking decisions and want cover of higher officer’s order.
- Corruption Link: Allegations that delay is intentional to force people to pay or to go through middlemen.
The result is overload at Collector offices and loss of faith in local administration.
Public demand is clear – government must fix a time limit for every service, display status online, and take action against officials who dispose cases only after pressure from above.
