Chhendipada, Angul: In a glaring instance of administrative apathy, the Chhendipada Block Development Office remained virtually non-functional on Monday, despite the conclusion of two consecutive government holidays.
After the second Saturday (14th) and Sunday (15th), government offices were expected to resume regular operations on the 16th. Instead, citizens arriving at the block headquarters were met with locked doors across nearly all departments. There was no official notification, no emergency order—only silence.
According to reliable sources, officials and staff had reportedly travelled to Narsinghpur to attend a ceremonial feast associated with the eleventh-day death ritual of the mother of Block Development Officer Aravinda Behera, who passed away recently. While the personal loss is deeply unfortunate, the absence of nearly the entire administrative machinery on a working day has raised serious concerns.
At the office premises, only a peon and a temporary night watchman were present. With no officials available to attend to public grievances or process routine files, dozens of citizens were forced to return home without completing their work. For many, the visit meant wasted time, travel expenses, and mounting frustration.
Monday is typically regarded as a critical working day in government offices, particularly after a weekend backlog. The apparent dereliction of duty has now sparked pointed questions: Who authorised this undeclared closure? Were attendance records marked despite officials being absent? And will the district administration initiate any inquiry into the matter?
The incident has once again brought into focus issues of administrative discipline and public accountability. For the people of Chhendipada, however, the immediate concern remains simple — when will governance function as it should?
