Palakkad: Mathur Gram Panchayat in Palakkad district, officially became the first local body in India to ban the use of salutations including ‘Sir’ and ‘Madam’ at office. Letters of ‘request’ and ‘seeking favours’ are out of context from now on in the Panchayat. Instead, people have to put forward their ‘needs’ and ‘demands’ on official letters.
Anyone visiting the Panchayat office need not address the elected representatives or office staff as ‘sir’ or ‘madam’, and while asking for services, words that reflect citizen’s rights should be used. Instead, they can address them by their designations or names. All Panchayat officials will now display their names on their designated tables. Words like brother/ sister are also allowed to be used.
The decisions were taken at the governing council meeting of the Panchayat that was held on 31st August. ‘It’s been 75 years since we secured freedom from the British. It’s time we display the supremacy of the people in a democratic government,’ said P.R. Prasad, vice-president of the Mathur Panchayat, moving the resolution forward. ‘If any service is held back simply because an individual refused to call ‘sir’ or ‘madam’, she can complain directly to me,’ asserts Pravitha Muralidharan, Mathur Panchayat President.
The Panchayat has displayed a notice regarding the resolution outside the office, telling people that if anyone is denied any service for not using the banned words, they can complain directly to the Panchayat president or secretary. ‘We have also passed on the information through our WhatsApp groups and clubs. Members will also pass on the information personally in their respective wards’. Vice president also explained that interest of everyone, including the officials, were taken into consideration before coming up with the decision to rule out age old colonial practices.
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