The Chhattisgarh Public Works Department has issued show-cause notices to 13 officials after finding that complaints filed through the CM Helpline 1076 were closed without adequate records showing how the grievances had been resolved. The action followed a departmental review of PWD-related complaints registered during August and September.
The notices have been served on three superintending engineers, five executive engineers and five sub-divisional officers. The officers have been asked to submit written replies to the PWD secretary within 15 days. The department said ex parte action may follow if the responses are not received within the stipulated period.
According to the PWD, several complaints were closed at the L-1, L-2 and L-3 levels with remarks that did not establish whether the complainant’s problem had actually been addressed. These levels relate to the movement of a grievance through the department’s administrative chain before closure on the helpline system.
The department said closure notes are expected to include the findings of site inspections, details of the action taken or proposed, timelines and information communicated to the complainant. Where a grievance falls under another department, the record should clearly state that fact and explain the reason for transferring or closing the complaint.
In an official statement, the PWD said inadequate remarks could create a misleading picture of grievance disposal on the portal. It described the lapses as a failure to properly discharge official duties. The department’s action places the quality of complaint documentation, rather than only the number of grievances marked closed, at the centre of its review.
The notices cover officials posted in divisions and sub-divisions including Bilaspur, Bemetara, Pendra, Durg, Patan, Korba, Sarangarh, Kanker and Raipur. The complaints reviewed by the department were registered through the state’s CM Helpline 1076 and related to matters under the PWD’s jurisdiction.
For residents reporting road, building or other public works issues, the closure note is the formal record of what the department says happened after a complaint was filed. The PWD’s instructions indicate that the record is expected to connect the complaint with an inspection, an action or proposed action, a timeline and communication to the complainant. The department has not disclosed the number of complaints reviewed or specified the individual grievances linked to each notice.
The next formal step is the submission and examination of the officers’ written replies within 15 days. The department will then determine whether further action is warranted against those who do not respond or whose explanations are found inadequate.
