Officials must attend calls from legislators: government issues strict directive

Bengaluru: In a significant move aimed at improving coordination between the administration and elected representatives, the Karnataka government has issued a clear directive making it mandatory for senior government officers to attend telephone calls from MLAs and MLCs.

The order has been issued following complaints that several senior officers were ignoring or failing to return calls from legislators. Chief Secretary Dr Shalini Rajneesh, in an official circular, has instructed all government officers to compulsorily receive calls from Members of the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council.

The circular further states that if officers are engaged in other official duties at the time of the call, they must necessarily return the call at the earliest and respond to the issues raised. The directive follows a letter written by the Chairman of the Karnataka Legislative Council to the Chief Secretary on December 16, 2025.

In the letter, the Chairman expressed serious concern over the growing tendency among officers to ignore calls from elected representatives or fail to call back even as a matter of courtesy. The Chairman pointed out that legislators are often approached by citizens from different parts of the state seeking redressal of grievances and solutions to pressing public issues.

In such situations, MLAs and MLCs are compelled to contact concerned officials to facilitate timely action. The Chairman noted that several officers neither answered calls nor returned them later, even when the calls were made in connection with public grievances. This, he said, was hampering effective governance and eroding public confidence in the administrative system.

Taking note of these concerns, the Chief Secretary has now directed that all officers must keep the contact numbers of MLAs, MLCs, and Members of Parliament, including Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members, readily available. Officers have been instructed to respond promptly and appropriately to calls from public representatives and address the issues raised with due seriousness.

The circular also states that these instructions should be communicated to personal staff and office branches to ensure strict compliance. The government has asked Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, and all other Secretaries to circulate and enforce the order across departments.

Sources said the order comes in the backdrop of complaints against senior IAS, IPS, and IFS officers in Bengaluru who were allegedly avoiding calls from legislators. The government hopes the directive will strengthen administrative accountability, ensure better grievance redressal, and reinforce respectful engagement between officers and elected representatives in the interest of public service.

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