Mangaluru : Moodbidri MLA Umanath Kotian on Monday paid surprise visit and took officials at Nadakacheri to task for ignoring people who were waiting to get their work done at the office.

Irked over officials using mobile phones during work hours, the MLA also warned them not to bring them to the office.

“It is you who made me come here and speak. People are making complaints that they were being harassed when they visit the office to avail benefits of various government schemes. Should they beg for their rights? A woman, who delivered just a month ago, was asked to visit the office. But she was made to wait for hours. She was asked to visit the office today, but the officials are refusing to process her files,” the MLA said.

He asked them who fixed the appointment for her to visit the office.

He also directed the officials to serve the people honestly and without delay. “People have sent a video of you speaking over mobile phone during duty hours. People are made to wait in queue and all of you are talking continuously on mobile phones. Don’t bring mobile phones to the office. Use it only during lunch time,” the MLA said.

Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat president Meenakshi Shantigodu on Saturday took a young paediatrician at government hospital in Puttur to task. The video clips of people’s representatives yelling at officials have gone viral. In the video clipping of Shantigodu, she was seen yelling at the doctor and asking her to be responsible.

Shantigodu had alleged that the doctor was not attending a child from a backward community in the government hospital. Meanwhile, Dr H R Rajeshwari Devi, medical superintendent, district hospital, had condemned the incident.