Bihar CM Choudhary suspends 15 officials, orders departmental action over delays in 'Sahyog' applications

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister, Samrat Choudhary, has ordered the immediate suspension of 15 government officials and employees for alleged negligence and failure to ensure timely and quality disposal of applications received through the state's 'Sahyog' grievance redressal programme.

He has also directed the initiation of departmental proceedings against them.

Those facing action include Jay Prakash, Circle Officer of Kharagpur in Munger; Archana Kumari, Circle Officer of Tetiya Bambar; Ravi Ranjan, Block Development Officer (BDO) in Bhojpur; Sanjiv Kumar, Circle Officer in Katihar; Santosh Kumar, Circle Officer in Bhagalpur; Pankaj Kumar, Circle Officer in Araria; Rupesh Kumar, Circle Officer in Gaya; and Ranjit Kumar Upadhyay, Circle Officer in Jehanabad.

The list also includes Priyanka Singh, Circle Officer of Triveniganj in Supaul; Veena Vaishali, Circle Officer of Nirmali in Supaul; Rohit Kumar Dubey, Assistant Engineer in the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) in Sheikhpura; Bhola Nath, Junior Engineer in Muzaffarpur; Shyam Babu Rai, Junior Engineer in West Champaran; Pawan Kumar, Junior Engineer in Sitamarhi; and Shubham Kumar, a revenue employee.

Shubham Kumar was previously posted in the Uchkagaon circle of Gopalganj and is currently reported to be posted in the Bajpatti circle of Sitamarhi.

The Chief Minister has instructed all District Magistrates, departmental secretaries and officials of the Chief Minister's Secretariat to closely monitor applications received through the 'Sahyog' portal.

He stressed that reviews should not be confined to checking whether applications have been processed within the stipulated time.

Officials must also assess whether the action taken has genuinely addressed the grievances raised by applicants.

Choudhary has warned that strict disciplinary action will be taken against officials and employees found delaying applications or providing inadequate responses instead of resolving the problems.

Under the 'Sahyog' programme, the Chief Minister interacts with members of the public and hears their grievances on the second Tuesday of every month.

The initiative is aimed at providing direct access to the government for people seeking redressal of their complaints.

The latest action is part of the government's effort to ensure accountability among officials and improve the quality of public grievance redressal.

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