Soon, services like registration of marriage, getting caste certificates and licences, and public grievance resolution could all be available under one roof in all 11 districts of Delhi. In a first-of-its-kind initiative, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday directed district magistrates (DMs) to prepare proposals for setting up ‘mini secretariats’ in all districts. "These mini-secretariats will serve as a major step towards providing swift and integrated public services at the local level," asserted the CM as she directed the DMs to identify the lands for these ‘mini secretariats’. She made the remarks during a meeting with the chairpersons of district development committees (DDCs) and the district magistrates. At present, the CM, Delhi ministers, senior bureaucrats, and heads of the departments like revenue, home, PWD, environment, finance, and others operate from the Delhi Secretariat located near ITO. Gupta also issued directions for the installation of 'complaint and suggestion boxes’ in all DM, SDM, and Sub-Registrar offices for timely and effective grievance redressal. "Citizens will be able to submit written complaints in these boxes. The monitoring and evaluation of these complaints will be done directly by the Chief Minister’s Office, ensuring that no complaint is ignored and that action is taken in a time-bound manner," said officials. At the meeting, Gupta also reviewed all the work on ongoing development schemes and service delivery across the districts. She directed all the officials to ensure real-time progress at the grassroots level and maintain open communication with the public. “The objective is to build an administrative system that is transparent, accountable, and citizen-friendly. During the meeting, all newly appointed chairpersons shared their perspectives, and there was an in-depth discussion on future development initiatives," read an official statement. Gupta also attacked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and claimed that the previous government showed severe negligence in addressing public grievances. "Not only were issues unable to reach the administration, but even when they did, proper resolutions were often lacking. The current government is working with full seriousness and commitment in this regard. During the previous government, revenue offices were ignored—neither basic infrastructure was provided, nor were citizen services prioritised," said the CM, adding that such negligence will no longer be tolerated. Further, the CM also directed that attendance of nominated officers from the departments concerned will be mandatory in all future DDC meetings. Any officer found absent without valid justification will face disciplinary action, said officials.
