There are many government departments that require daily public interface. There have been complaints that online applications for the Electronic Photo Identity Card (EPIC) remain unattended despite the fact that applicants have given their complete particulars and are genuine Indian citizens holding responsible positions in the government. Another department that has a daily public interface is the District Transport Office. On any given day, the serpentine queue outside the counter for payment of fees for renewal of driving licenses or for applying for a fresh driving license is very discouraging. The male side of the queue is always longer and it takes hours to complete the task. The women’s queue on the other hand is rather short and women touts take advantage of this. They pay the fees for several applicants who have to time to queue up and bring with them large sums of money at a time. Since the counter clerk behind the desk is a symbol of inefficiency despite the presence of computers, it creates disharmony among fellow applicants and anger against the system.
Then there are those who apply for scheduled tribe certificates from the sub-divisional headquarters and have to go through a harrowing time. They are asked to bring different papers but later are told that it would be better if they approached the District authorities. What has happened to the E-governance discussed time and again at different forum, for increasing efficiency? The Information Technology Department has been promising much in this area of governance but it has not been able to overcome the hiccups as yet. The much touted Meghalaya Information System (MIS) which was launched with much fanfare a year ago and is said to be the new talk- back system where the public can lodge their complaints against any government department that is found inefficient or is not delivering. Today the MIS which is functioning under the public-private partnership (PPP) system is apparently floundering. There is a distinct lack of direction in this area which is frustrating the young and dynamic communications specialists who were recruited through a very competitive interview system. This does not bode well for Meghalaya as all round efficiency of the delivery system is the hallmark of successful governance.