FUNCTIONING OF PUBLIC GRIEVANCES REDRESSAL MACHINERY (PGRM) IN MINISTRY OF COAL AND IN THE SUBORDINATE OFFICES WORKING UNDER THE ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROL OF THIS MINISTRY

A Standard Public Grievance and Staff Grievance procedure is in existence in the Ministry of Coal, its Subordinate Offices and in the PSUs under the administrative control of the Ministry.

An Officer of the rank of Director has been designated as Director (PG) in Coal Ministry. Presently Shri Animesh Bharti, Economic Adviser, Ministry of Coal has been designated as Director (PG) to head the functioning process of PGRM. Office Address is 5th Floor, Lok Nayak Bhawan, New Delhi and telephone number is 24655949. Every Wednesday is designated “as a meeting-less day” so that P.G.petitioners can meet the Director (P.G) freely. The facilitation counter at Shastri Bhavan has been instructed to allow visitors to meet the officers on Wednesday without prior appointment. This information is displayed on a Board at 3rd floor, Shastri Bhavan.

Director (Admn.) has been designated as Staff Grievance Officer in Ministry of Coal. He hears the grievance cases of the staff of Ministry of Coal.

All grievances are duly acknowledged. The time taken for disposal of cases is dependent on nature of the case. However, on an average the case is disposed off in one or two month’s time. Coal India Ltd. and all field units have been advised to comply with and adopt the norms fixed by Department of AR & PG for redressing the grievances.

All Organizations working under the administrative control of this Ministry have been advised to observe every Wednesday as meeting-less day with a view to attend to public grievances. All Officers of the level of Deputy Secretary and above have been advised to accommodate issues relating to grievance for three hours from 10.00 AM to 1.00 PM. CIL has been instructed to pick up grievances appearing in the newspaper columns, which relate to them and take remedial action in a time bound manner.

The functioning of the Public Grievance Redressal Machinery (PGRM) is being reflected in the Annual Report of the Ministry of Coal. All the coal companies have been advised to reflect the same in their Annual Reports too.

Majority of the PG references pertains to the coal PSUs and Sub-Ordinate Offices. The grievances received from different sources are sent for analysis and examination to the concerned coal companies. The replies received are considered and the final view of the Ministry is communicated to the concerned person.

PRIW II Section entertains all the grievances petitions/representations received from public, employees of coal companies, Department of AR&PG, Cabinet Secretariat, President’s Secretariat Office, PMO, from VIPs etc. The petitions received from different sources are sent to concern Coal Companies for sending the suitable reply to the petitioner directly under intimation to this Ministry. ln respect of VIP reference, we call for the report and after consideration, final view of the Ministry is communicated to the concerned VIP.

In Singereni Collieries Company Ltd. “a standard public grievances and staff grievances redressal machinery” has been developed. The aggrieved workman can present his/her grievance in person at Mine level and such grievances are examined and reply is given within 10 days. Dissatisfied petitioners may submit their grievances to the Area level Grievance Committee that examines the grievance and communicates the decision to the concerned workman within 10 days. If the workman is not satisfied with the reply to the Committee he/she can represent his grievance to the Director (Per) in the company. The above procedure has been working satisfactorily in SCCL.