No more 'Sir' or 'Madam' in this Kerala panchayat office
Don't get amused if officials of a local village panchayat in Kerala are seen politely persuading visitors to call them by their name or designation instead of usual salutations like "sir" or "madam." Scripting history, the Mathur village panchayat in north Kerala district has banned colonial honorifics like "sir" and "madam" in its office premises.
Mathur has become the first civic body to ban salutations
The ban has been imposed with an aim to bridge the barrier between common people, people's representatives and civic body officials and thus build a bond of love and trust between each other. With this, Mathur has become the first civic body in the country to ban the usage of salutations like this, setting a unique reformation model for other civic bodies.
Seven CPI(M) nominees and one BJP member backed the resolution
A recent meeting of the panchayat council had unanimously taken the decision and started implementing the rule. Setting aside political difference, seven CPI(M) nominees and one BJP member of the 16-member Congress-ruled village panchayat had backed the resolution moved in this regard earlier this week.
Objective is to bridge the gap between commoners and officials
PR Prasad, the Vice President of the Mathur panchayat, said the core objective of the move is to bridge the gap between commoners, who visit the panchayat offices with their needs, and people's representatives and officials. "Cutting across politics, everyone in our panchayat is particular about creating a friendly and warm atmosphere in the office," he said.
Honorifics were remnants of the colonial past: Panchayat members
"All of us had a feeling that the salutations like sir or madam used to create a gap between us and people approaching us with their issues," he added. The panchayat members also felt that these honorifics were remnants of the colonial past.
People can lodge complaint if they are denied any service
After banning the salutations, the civic body displayed a notice outside the office telling people that if they are denied any service for not using the honorifics, they can lodge a complaint directly to the panchayat President or Secretary. Every official of the panchayat would place a board on their tables displaying their names.
Mathur panchayat authorities have introduced an 'avakasha pathrika'
They requested the Official Language Department to provide them alternative words for "sir" and "madam." "So far, people can call elderly officials using friendly terms like chettan (elder brother) or chechi (elder sister) in Malayalam," he said. The panchayat authorities also decided to introduce avakasha pathrika (rights certificate) in place of apeksha form (application form) to ensure the supremacy of citizens in a democracy.
