Civic Officials Told to Inspect Roads, Cleanliness, Water Supply, Construction, Encroachments and Public Services Before Reporting to Office
Raipur: Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister and Urban Administration Minister Arun Sao has directed officials of urban local bodies to step out of their offices and conduct regular field inspections to improve civic services across cities.
Under the new instructions, officials will have to visit different parts of their respective cities before reaching their offices in the morning and personally assess the ground situation. They will inspect cleanliness, roads, drinking water supply, construction works, encroachments and other civic facilities and ensure that problems identified during the visits are addressed promptly.
Arun Sao made it clear that simply sitting in offices and processing files would not change the situation on the ground. Officials must visit the affected areas, assess problems themselves and ensure timely corrective action.
Daily Morning Visits to Become Part of Civic Administration
During a review meeting of urban local bodies, Sao directed municipal commissioners and chief municipal officers to conduct daily morning visits.
Officials will specifically monitor:
- Cleanliness and garbage collection
- Road conditions
- Ongoing construction and development works
- Drinking water supply
- Encroachments and illegal construction
- Availability of civic amenities
- Implementation of government schemes
A system will also be developed to review revenue collection, construction activities, sanitation and implementation of government schemes on different days of the week.
The objective is to identify problems through on-ground inspections rather than files and office reports and ensure that solutions are delivered without unnecessary delay.
Stray Cattle Remain a Major Challenge in Raipur
The issue of stray cattle on roads remains a persistent challenge in the state capital Raipur. Cattle are frequently seen on or along several major roads, creating a serious risk of road accidents.
A recent accident on VIP Road that reportedly resulted in the deaths of four cattle had also highlighted the issue. In view of repeated complaints, the condition of stray cattle and related civic arrangements will now be monitored during morning field visits.
14 Officers Assigned to Cover 10 Zones
According to Lokeshwar Sahu, Additional Commissioner of Raipur Municipal Corporation, the Deputy Chief Minister has clearly instructed officials that sitting in offices and dealing only with files will not improve ground-level conditions.
Accordingly, 14 officers have been assigned field responsibilities in Raipur. The team includes officials at the levels of Additional Commissioner, Chief Engineer, Superintending Engineer and Executive Engineer.
These officers will regularly inspect the 10 zones of Raipur Municipal Corporation, assess civic conditions and submit reports.
WhatsApp Group to Strengthen Monitoring
Lokeshwar Sahu said a WhatsApp group has also been created involving officials from the Raipur Municipal Corporation as well as nearby municipalities and nagar panchayats.
Officials will share reports after visiting their respective areas and assessing civic services. The system is expected to strengthen monitoring of field-level officials and employees and encourage greater accountability for local civic conditions.
Urban Bodies Not Meant Only to Spend Budgets: Sao
During the review meeting, Arun Sao said the role of urban local bodies should not be limited to spending allocated budgets.
He directed civic bodies to focus on long-term urban planning, delivery of public services and the welfare of citizens.
Officials were instructed to ensure that the benefits of schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and PM SVANidhi reach as many eligible beneficiaries as possible.
To increase municipal revenue, the government also stressed conducting property surveys, identifying newly developed properties and expanding facilities for online property tax payments.
Faster Construction and Strict Quality Monitoring
Sao directed engineers of urban local bodies to accelerate development and construction works while ensuring that quality standards are maintained.
He emphasised that the impact of government schemes and development projects should be visible on the ground and not merely in official records.
Officials were also instructed to take immediate action whenever illegal construction or encroachment is detected. Sao pointed out that delayed action on illegal construction can create additional pressure on civic infrastructure such as roads, water supply and electricity in the future.
Water Planning for the Next 50 Years
Future water requirements were also discussed during the meeting.
Sao directed all urban local bodies to organise brainstorming sessions keeping in mind the water requirements of the next 50 years.
The proposed planning will focus on water conservation, rainwater harvesting and the reuse of treated or used water.
Officials Responsible for City’s Image and Development: Bora
Principal Secretary of the Urban Administration Department Sonmani Bora told officials that the responsibility of urban local bodies extends beyond completing construction projects and government schemes.
He said maintaining the city’s overall systems and ensuring smooth delivery of civic services are equally important responsibilities.
Bora emphasised that citizens should be able to clearly experience the presence and effectiveness of their municipal bodies. Development plans should produce visible results on the ground, while citizens should also be encouraged to participate in public events and programmes.
He directed officials to identify vacant spaces for intensive plantation and development of urban forests. Maintaining encroachment-free footpaths and strictly complying with directions issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) were also emphasised.
Nalanda Centres to Be Started Soon
The meeting also reviewed the progress of under-construction Nalanda centres.
Officials were instructed to expedite the process of making these centres operational. Funds for furniture, IT facilities, books and other essential requirements are to be approved, followed by the early issuance of tenders.
Key Schemes and Issues Reviewed
Several major urban development and civic administration issues were reviewed during the meeting, including:
- Status of Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister’s announcements
- Infrastructure development works
- Nalanda centres
- Mukhyamantri Nagarotthan Yojana
- Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana
- 15th Finance Commission
- Swachh Bharat Mission
- Solid waste management
- AMRUT Mission
- Water augmentation projects
- PM SVANidhi
- PM e-Bus Scheme
- Revenue collection
- Salary payments
- Energy bill audits
- ABC Rules and Godhan Yojana
- Daily morning field visits
- CM Helpline
- Public Service Guarantee
- Rainwater harvesting
Now, the Field Will Tell the Story—Not the Files
The latest directives indicate a stronger focus by the Chhattisgarh government on accountability, field monitoring and visible delivery of civic services.
Officials will now be expected to personally verify whether roads have been cleaned, garbage collection vehicles are operating on schedule, water supply is adequate, construction and drainage works meet quality standards, and stray cattle and encroachment-related issues are being addressed.
In short, the condition of cities will increasingly be assessed not just through files and official reports, but through direct field inspections and morning ground reports.
