CHENNAI: Citing new Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s swearing-in ceremony speech stressing on clean governance and quality public service delivery, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) on Tuesday issued a stern directive to officials to eliminate delays in processing public applications and ensure strict adherence to prescribed timelines.
In a circular, Principal Secretary and CMDA Member Secretary G Prakash instructed officials to expedite the processing of applications relating to planning permission, completion certificates, layouts, and reclassification proposals without undue delay.
The order, issued with immediate effect, cited Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's speech during the swearing-in ceremony on May 10, in which he laid emphasis on clean governance, transparency and quality public service delivery.
"There shall be no red tapism at any level in the department," the circular said, warning that negligence, favouritism, malpractice or misuse of official position would invite serious disciplinary action under conduct rules.
The CMDA also directed officers to closely monitor pending files on a day-to-day basis and ensure that applications do not remain pending beyond prescribed timelines without valid reasons being formally recorded.
In cases involving technical, legal or inter-departmental complications, officials have been instructed to place such files before weekly review meetings held every Monday and seek directions for early disposal.
The circular further stressed that officers must maintain integrity, impartiality and transparency in discharge of duties and take all necessary steps to preserve public confidence in the administration.
Heads of sections and unit officers have been asked to circulate the instructions among all staff members and ensure strict compliance across the authority.