Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who held a review meeting with top bureaucrats and senior officers on Monday, said it was time to change mindsets and take quick decisions like head honchos of corporate enterprises.
Mr Shettar, who reminded bureaucrats that the BJP government’s tenure would come to an end within a few months, sought better performance from them. “In the next few months, all the programmes announced in the budget need to be implemented. If you do a good job, the government will get a good name. Ensure that every grievance is redressed at the district level through Jan Sampark Sabhas, so that people do not have to rush to Vidhana Soudha for every matter. Correspondence is unnecessarily delayed as officers lack a personal rapport. Red-tapism should end,” he said and narrated the case of a woman from Jamkhandi who was struggling to get compensation for the last 30 years for ten acres acquired by the government.
Admitting that the government had, on several occasions, lost legal battles due to inefficiency of the advocates and some times because of the officers providing incomplete information, Mr Shettar warned that the government would replace non-performing lawyers.
“If the department concerned point out any flaws, we are ready to replace the advocate.”
The Chief Minister, who hailed ‘Sakala’ scheme, however, lamented delays in payment of pension and distribution of BPL cards. “There is no dearth of resources for developmental programmes. The government faces big challenges like drought, bird flu, garbage menace and Cauvery water sharing row. While timely action of the bureaucrats has saved the day, we need to focus better on timely payment of pension, implementation of Ashraya and MNREGA schemes, distribution of BPL cards and others,” he added.
He called for uniform policy for sand mining in Karnataka.