Government files: Always in inertia and the great white hope called e-office

Pending files are a perennial administrative problem for any government.

And, much like his predecessors, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has assured to take up a ‘file clearance drive’ even as several hundred files are pending in major departments at any point of time.

While there are complaints that such pendency affects citizens in terms of service delivery and adds to administrative lethargy, various factors are to blame for such a delay.

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The government argues that technology interventions, such as the e-office system on which there are at least four lakh files, are addressing issues with file clearance so that approvals are granted on time for the benefit of the public.

Pendencies not only cast a shadow on the efficiency of government machinery, but also lead to suspicions of widespread corruption.

Officials, however, maintain that there are several factors responsible for the delay in clearing files as most of the pending files are kept in abeyance for legal reasons.

Among various government departments, revenue and urban development have the most number of pending files.

Officials from various departments explain how political pressure to clear some files adds to the pile up.

“There are cases where local MLAs or MPs force officials to put up files to convert gomala land for other purposes, say as a playground for a gram panchayat. Even though local authorities realise that these files cannot be cleared at any level due to the restrictions for converting such land, they have no choice but to send a proposal,” says a senior officer requesting anonymity.

Another official cites the example of applications to purchase agricultural land.

“Despite government regulations that only those with an annual income of Rs 2 lakh or less can buy agricultural land, there are hundreds of applications by those who exceed the income limit. Until the government amends the Land Reforms Act and increases the income limit to 25 lakh, these files cannot be disposed of,” another official says.

One more reason is complaints filed against any process initiated by various departments.

If anyone files a complaint against, say a tender floated by a department, bureaucrats sit on it contributing to the pendency, the official adds.

“We all know the consequences faced by officials who take stern and bold decisions based on existing rules. They are relegated to the sidelines.”

Movement of files along various levels of bureaucratic machinery is also the reason for pendency, a fact highlighted in a report submitted by the Karnataka Administrative Reforms Commission-2 (KARC-2).

In any government department, files have to move 6-7 levels - from junior assistant to section officer to under secretary and so on.

In a few cases, various clarifications are sought from departments related to a project or proposal, adding to the delay.

Former chief secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar, who heads KARC-2, says adopting e-office system from district level offices right up to the secretariat will help address the issue.

“All required documents and attachments related to a file can be accessed in one go under e-office,” he says.

Another recommendation to prevent the slow movement of files is delegation of more powers to deputy commissioners.

“At the state level, too, the number of levels for file movement can be cut down,” Bhaskar adds.

Chief secretary P Ravikumar told DH that files are kept pending only if there are court cases and disciplinary measures or if forest clearances are awaited.

“With e-office, we are clearing files at a faster pace and pendency has reduced,” he says.