How difficult is it to access a Chief Engineer-level official in Chandigarh? Almost impossible.Over eight days spread across two weeks, The Indian Express correspondents posed as ordinary citizens to track Sanjay Arora, Chief Engineer of the Municipal Corporation (MC). Their sole purpose: to put up a grievance before him about a civic issue. The result was startling: across days of visits during designated public hours, they could not even catch a glimpse of him, let alone secure a meeting.This despite the administration’s claim that its officials are easily accessible to the public. At the level of Chief Engineer, who oversees the city’s core infrastructure and services, the gates remained firmly shut.Even during notified “public meeting hours,” citizens waiting outside his office were told only one thing by his staff: “Arora is in a meeting.”From a widow seeking a livelihood to students worried about roads and drainage, their grievances never reached the officer tasked with addressing them. The public meeting hour, meant to bridge officials with residents, remained a closed door.The investigation underlines a stark gap between the administration’s claims of accessibility and the ground reality, a gap that leaves Chandigarh’s citizens unheard.Day 1: ‘No public interaction today’On the first day, a correspondent visited the MC headquarters and first approached the Commissioner’s office, located right next to the Chief Engineer’s. Staff there redirected her to Arora, saying citizens should first approach the Chief Engineer.Story continues below this adAt Arora’s office, however, she was told he was “not available”. Through the glass she could see tea and biscuits being served. When she approached the PA’s office, she was informed there was no public interaction that day though as per protocol, a Chief Engineer is expected to meet citizens daily.Even when she insisted the matter was urgent, she was denied access. After half an hour of waiting, she was redirected to Superintending Engineer (SE) Dharmendra Sharma, who too was said to be “in a meeting”.Among others waiting was a widow whose late husband had worked for the MC. She was seeking employment on compassionate grounds and said it was her second visit that week. Her son, a first-year BA student, risked dropping out of college as she could not pay his fees. After waiting two hours, she still had no audience.At 1 pm, the correspondent left without meeting the Chief Engineer.Day 2: ‘No fixed timings’Story continues below this adThe next day, another correspondent arrived at 12:10 pm. The PA’s desk was unattended. After half an hour, he went to the SE’s office, only to be told Sharma too was in a meeting.There was no notice board displaying public meeting hours. When asked about timings, the staff said: “People can come anytime.”When the PA finally arrived around 12:45 pm, the correspondent raised a complaint about broken roads in Sector 15. The PA replied that tenders had been issued, but declined a meeting with Arora, insisting he was in a meeting. Even after waiting another 20 minutes, the response remained the same.Day 3: ‘Occupied with officials’At noon the following day, another attempt was made. Several people were already waiting outside Arora’s office. By 12:20 pm, no citizen had been admitted. The peon told the correspondent the officer was “busy with officials”.Story continues below this adAt 12:55 pm, tea and biscuits were again being served inside. Citizens continued to wait. The correspondent left without getting a meeting with Arora.Day 4: ‘Not available today’A correspondent arrived at 12:03 pm with a grievance about roads. The PA said Arora was not available. After a long wait, the same response came again, “He is in a meeting, won’t be able to meet today.”Even the SE’s office was locked, with no staff present.Day 5: ‘Busy in House meeting’Another correspondent arrived during public meeting hours. The PA said: “Woh busy hain House meeting mein… aaj nahin milenge.”Story continues below this adWhen the correspondent explained he was facing drainage problems in his lane that caused flooding during rain, the PA brushed it aside: “Rainy season is over, tenders are already in process.” A meeting with Arora was again denied.Day 6: ‘Sir is not available’On the sixth visit, the PA greeted the correspondent with a smile and immediately said: “Sir is not available. Tenders are in process, issue will be resolved.”When asked whether Arora had come to office, the PA avoided giving any direct response, suggesting instead that the visitor meet another officer. The peon escorted him, but that officer too was “in a meeting”. Later, the peon told the correspondent that Arora had briefly come in the morning but left.Day 7: Dussehra holidayDay 8: ‘In a meeting’On the eighth attempt, a correspondent reached at 12:20 pm. Six citizens were already waiting.Story continues below this adWhen she asked to meet Arora, the PA repeated the by-now-standard line: “Woh meeting mein hain.” She waited till 12:55 pm and left, disappointed like the rest.Over all these days of attempts, every correspondent encountered the same experience as the waiting citizens outside his office: long hours of wait, only to be told “in a meeting.”What the Chief Engineer saysWhen contacted later and asked whether he was meeting people as per the public dealing hours, Chief Engineer Sanjay Arora insisted: “Haanji, bilkul, 12 se 1 milta hoon sabse (Yes, I meet the public from 12 noon to 1 pm).”When told that not one correspondent, over multiple days, could access him, he responded: “I can give my PA’s number. They can fix an appointment.”Story continues below this adTold that he had not been available to the public since September 24, Arora said: “I may be caught up somewhere…”(With inputs from Asmita Maini and Shivangi Vashisht)