Field Officers loitering in North Block - What are they doing there?
A Government Servant is paid out of the Public Funds to sit in his office and do work for at least six to seven hours a day. At any point of time you can find at least ten senior level field officers in the North Block visiting the officers of the Revenue Boards. There is a virtual Durbar in the Boards when the field officers come to the Boards and pay courtesy calls on the Board Members. (Actually you and I pay for these calls). Most of them come to please the officers or to seek favours – mostly transfers. They are wasting not only their time but that of the officers of the Board – all at our cost. Because of these unnecessary meetings and waste of time, the officers do not have enough time to attend to the tax payers' woes and simple issues are pending crying for clarifications.
Sometime back the CBDT had asked the Chief Commissioners to ensure that officers leave their Headquarters to visit Board Office only with their permission for urgent/important assignments only [please see ]. But then field officers are not in the habit of obeying Board orders.
It is not as if the Boards should be ivory towers not accessible to the field officers – but this massive waste of public time and money should be curbed. Maybe in the Boards, they should maintain a record of the visits of the field officers and the minutes of the meetings should be recorded including the time!