Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant has called on government department heads to ensure courteous behaviour towards the public and speed up the clearance of pending files, warning that arrogance among staff and unnecessary delays in decision-making must be addressed.

Speaking during Vigilance Awareness Week 2026, Sawant said some peons in government offices behave arrogantly with citizens because their respective heads of departments (HODs) fail to correct them. He directed department heads to take responsibility for their staff’s conduct and ensure that people visiting government offices are treated with respect.

The Chief Minister stressed that government employees must maintain proper behaviour while dealing with citizens and that department heads should intervene when staff members fail to meet expected standards of public service.

Sawant also expressed concern over pending files in government departments, stating that unnecessary delays in processing files create room for allegations of corruption. He urged officials to avoid keeping files pending without valid reasons and ensure that matters are moved forward in a timely manner.

He directed officials to forward files to the concerned HOD or Secretary and, wherever required, to the minister concerned, instead of holding them up at their level. The Chief Minister said decisions should be taken by the appropriate competent authority.