Make them work

Despite repeated directions of successive state governments, the government departments seem reluctant to update their official websites. The state came under Governor’s rule last week but to this day maximum departments still have a minister. They have failed to remove the names of former ministers from their respective websites. Tasaduq Husain Mufti continues to be the tourism minister while Shakti Raj Parihar is his minister of state. Similarly Sunil Sharma still happens to be transport minister. The story does not end here. Dr Devinder Kumar Manyal is the health minister and Asiya Naqash minister of state. The Power Development Department (PDD) has Nirmal Kumar Singh as its minister. Ironically, the websites still depict the names of the retired officials. Even transferred bureaucrats can be found on the websites of their former departments. Interestingly the phone numbers of retired officials are still available on some of the websites. It conveys that no updating has taken place for months together. This is against the requirements of the RTI Act which urges the departments to provide all the necessary information voluntarily on their websites. The website of tourism department shows only pictures of various resorts. No information about facilities like accommodation, transportation, weather is furnished to help the tourists willing to visit the places. Curiously the departments have people for updating of websites. If they are not working, they need to be declared deadwood and thrown out to make way for competent people. It has come to fore that the people hired for maintaining websites have been deputed for other works by higher officials. The abandoned websites have made a mockery of the much boasted e-governance in this neglected state. It has also exploded the transparency claims of the government. It also reflects the lethargy of the departments. This is enough evidence to prove that the government departments have failed the people. The authorities have made biometric attendance mandatory in offices. But the mere presence of the officials in offices makes no difference if they do not work.