Telangana government ignores file tracking system

The absence of this online tracking system has been providing scope for corruption in the Secretariat with applicants ready to pay bribes at every level — right from the section officer to deputy secretary level — to get their files cleared.

The higher officials are not in a position to track the status of files in the absence of this system. The system was introduced in the Secretariat in undivided Andhra Pradesh, which is now being neglected by the TS government.

With no monitoring from higher-ups over the status of the files in the absence of online tracking system, the pendency of files has been mounting day by day.

Complaints are pouring in against lower-rung staff of deliberately keeping the files pending in their sections for weeks and months together without any valid reasons, making applicants run around them frequently and forcing them to pay bribes for moving the files from one section to the other.

“These complaints are more in revenue, roads and buildings, panchayat raj, municipal administration, medical and health, mining and general administration departments. Files are kept pending for months together without any valid reasons,” said an official.

In the earlier file tracking system, a unique number was given to each and every file and entered in the online system. The movement of file from one section to another was recorded instantly. This had enabled higher-ups to track where the file was pending and they sought explanation from officials concerned for keeping the file pending. With this, the staff used to avoid keeping the files pending without any valid reasons fearing the wrath of higher-ups, which is not the case now.

According to official estimates, nearly 300 visitors come to the Secretariat every day to know the status of their files and many of them are forced to go either empty-handed or pay bribes to get their work done.