No more khidmatgars, orders Bengal Governor

While the rest of the State Government missed the October 12 deadline for implementing the RTI Act, Raj Bhavan became the first institution in West Bengal to have implemented it. As per the Act, the Raj Bhavan furnished details about its staff on its website.

The report, among other things, had pointed out how nomenclatures like khidmatgar — which goes very much against the contemporary times — still exist in the Raj Bhavan. There are six khidmatgars at the Raj Bhavan.

Following the report, D K Gautam, State Public Information Officer, sent a letter to this newspaper stating that: ‘‘The Governor regards your point about khidmatgars as well-taken and has asked for its use to be discontinued.’’

The letter adds: ‘‘The observation of the reporter regarding the scale and nature of its work are taken by us as a constructive follow-up under the Right To Information Act. It may, however, be pointed out that this scale is broadly common to all Raj Bhavans, its appropriateness or otherwise being a matter of assessment by competent authorities.’’

The letter further elaborates: ‘‘The Governor, soon after assuming office, discontinued the practice of writing phrases like ‘‘His Excellency’’ and ‘‘First Lady’’.’’

‘‘He (the Governor) believes that Raj Bhavan is tuned to the times not by symbolic gestures like renaming, but by its sensitivity to the pulse of the people. As to the maintenance of the edifice, its fixtures and appurtenances, that is a duty towards the conservation of our architectural heritage,’’ concludes the letter.