Dusting off file system: KMC initiates process of e-office
Kolkata: In its bid to fast track citizen centric services, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has initiated the process of implementing e-office. KMC expects to develop the infrastructure in a span of fifteen days and is hopeful that once implemented it will put an end to inordinate delay in movement of files from one office to another.
"Municipal services are citizen centric and it is our responsibility to ensure that there is minimum delay in such services. There have been instances when a particular file has taken ten days to move from an official's room to another just adjacent to his room when he/she has not turned up for personal reasons. The e-office will eliminate such delay as all files can now be get easily tracked. It will also minimise chances of losing of files," said a senior official of KMC.
Municipal Commissioner Binod Kumar has already issued a circular after the approval of Chairman Board of Administrators Firhad Hakim stating that the e-office system will initially start from manager/executive, engineer/equivalent post and higher levels. Concerned officials of all the departments have been directed to prepare employee master database of their respective department and sent it to the IT department of the KMC at an earliest. Elaborating on the advantages of e-office in the context of the present Covid scenario, the official said that the commencement of e-office will reduce the risk factor of getting affected with the virus that is involved in handling files physically. "Moreover, work from home concept which is presently a far cry in KMC will be feasible with the start of e-office," he added.
It has been found that with the unlock period starting more and more employees are turning up at the office so maintaining physical distance is posing a major challenge. More than 50 per cent space in different offices are occupied with almirahs, tables etc that contain heaps of files. "Once we start e-office, we can gradually free up open space in office and create space for employees to sit maintaining norms of physical distancing," said the official. The e-office mechanism will be monitored by Commissioner Kumar himself. Incidentally, e-office was first started in Bengal during 2009-10, at the Barasat Collectorate office when Kumar was the District Magistrate of North 24 Parganas.
