Net, set & go: Meeting CM will be a click away …………….Sanjeev Shivadekar I TNN
Mumbai: Whether you are a farmer from Amravati or an investor from the US, your appointment with CM Vilasrao Deshmukh is now just a click away.
In a unique initiative, the Maharashtra governments Information Technology (IT) Cell has tied up with Tata Consultancy services (TCS) to launch a new software that makes waiting in endless queues outside the offices of Deshumkh, other ministers and bureaucrats, a thing of the past.
Without even entering the Mantralaya or making calls, one can get an appointment with ministers or officials, said Kshatrapati Shivaji, secretary of the state IT department. The system will be functional in a months time, he added.
The software called the Visitor Pass Management System (VPMS) enables people to take appointments as easily as they buy air tickets. For instance, if they want to meet Deshmukh, then all they have to do is to go to the Maharashtra government websitewww.maharashtra.gov.in. A link on this website will display a list of all the ministers and bureaucrats. Those seeking appointments would then have to state when they want to meet the person and their purpose of visit. If the minister/bureaucrat assents to the appointment, then the person seeking appointment would have to take a printout of the assent and visit Mantralaya on the given date, he added.
Besides, the government will soon install a system to digitalise records of the visitors to the Mantralaya. At present, the records at all five entry gates of the Mantralaya are maintained manually. With the new technology, the records will be stored in bar code format and visitors will get printouts instead of manually-filled entry passes. This will save time as the visitors records will be stored. So, if the same visitors come the next time, they will not need to enter all their details, the secretary added.
On an average 5,000 visitors visit the Mantralaya daily, and often, RTI application are filed asking for details of the visitor and the department the person visited.
The new system will not only help in replying to RTI queries, but also help maintain records and photos of visitors in the digital format. These can be accessed whenever needed, said J A Johri, assistant commissioner of police and security (Mantralaya security). This will even reduce the stress levels of security personnel posted at Mantralaya, he added.