Raha, Oct 27: At a time when the State government has set January 1, 2027, as the deadline for all government offices to change to a paperless office system, a government office in Raha Co-District has been functioning without electricity since its inception, exposing the gap between government announcements and ground reality.
The office in question is the Co-District Excise Office, located at Garmari inside the premises of the Subdivisional Agriculture Office, Ward No. 1, Raha. Established to streamline excise-related services in the co-district, the office lacks the most basic requirement – a power connection.
A visit to the office reveals the deplorable state of affairs. The office is confined to a single small room with a broken roof. There is no washroom for officials as well as for visitors. There is not even a signboard bearing the name of the office, making it difficult for people to locate it.
Besides, there is no official vehicle, no computer and only eight staff members, including an Inspector, to manage the entire co-district. The office also functions without electricity since it was opened.
Not just the lack of electricity, the office has come under public scrutiny for its overall poor infrastructure, exposing the government’s tall claim of making public services “more transparent, efficient and citizen-centric”.
While on one hand, the government speaks about e-governance and paperless offices, on the other, an office which belongs to one of the highest revenue-earning departments of the State is operating in such condition.
Residents and employees who requested anonymity have urged the State government and the district administration to look into the matter immediately and provide basic infrastructure to the office.