KP seniors to listen to public complaints every Tues & Thurs
Times of India | 14 September 2026Under the new directives, senior police officers — including joint commissioners and additional commissioners — will directly inspect divisional offices during designated public hearing sessions every Tuesday and Thursday to resolve complex issues, with residents being allowed to have direct interaction with them. “People do not need to run to Lalbazar and seek meetings with senior officers. However, the genuineness and importance of a case will be paramount before the complainants are allowed to meet them,” said an officer.
Beyond oversight, these top-tier officers will personally review and address complex complaints that could not be satisfactorily resolved during the preliminary divisional inquiry stage. With a rising number of complaints where citizens claim petty cases — especially of theft or hurt — take long to be investigated, the initiative is being seen as another step towards “increasing accountability”.
To ensure seamless access for every citizen, the Kolkata Police commissioner has instructed deputy commissioners (DCs) across all police divisions to appoint an assistant commissioner (AC) per division as a dedicated nodal officer for the project.
To guarantee that ordinary visitors receive undivided attention, the designated ACs will remain completely relieved of all other official duties on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10.30 am and 1 pm. During these hours, their offices will remain open specifically for citizens to meet them, lodge grievances, and track ongoing complaints. Furthermore, officers at Lalbazar have been instructed to remain free of routine administrative tasks during evening hours to process incoming reports and manage public follow-ups.
For everyday citizens seeking redressal, the process has been streamlined to ensure complete transparency. When a member of the public approaches the divisional office, the receiving officer will upload the complainant’s name, mobile number, and specific grievance details directly onto the central “Apnar Sarkar Apnar Pashe” portal. Simultaneously, all entries will be logged into a physical master register at the venue, providing citizens with a verifiable paper trail and tracking reference.
A rigorous multi-tier monitoring system has been embedded into the process to prevent delays. Assistant commissioners are required to submit daily action-taken reports to Lalbazar and the deputy commissioner (Headquarters-II). Additionally, divisional deputy commissioners and joint commissioners must send daily tallies of citizen footfall and received complaints to headquarters, followed by a comprehensive weekly summary every Friday to additional commissioner II.
“We will carry out periodic reviews, which will also be checked by Nabanna. Necessary modifications will be made as the system gets going,” said a senior officer who is monitoring the project.
