The police distributed a questionnaire requiring detailed information about residents to ensure the security of the civil society in Colombo a month ago.are these details really necessary? Won't a simple form be sufficient?

The residents are requested to fill in these forms and obtain the signatures of the grama sevakas and the assistant secretaries of the pradesha saba. In addition to the signature of the chief occupant, a certification by two government officials is made mandatory. This procedure causes great inconvenience to the public.

The residents are unable to meet the grama sevakas in their office despite several visits for their signature.

Furthermore these officers are unable to ascertain the bona fide of most of the details sought in the form. There is no way for these officials to personally vouch for the information given in the forms. In most places, the members of the public are told that the grama sevakas will visit homes but it never happens.

Our view is that a practical and meaningful approach would be to let the chief occupants to bear the responsibility to vouch for any information given in the form.

An English translation of the Editorial in Thinalkkural, a Tamil daily,based in Colombo

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed