The next step would be to computerise the busiest department -- the district supply office -- which controls the public distribution system, and has the highest number of complaints pertaining to shortage of one essential commodity or the other, says District Collector Anil Mukim. His deputy C R Kharsan says that the staff have started undergoing computer training. Though only 10 officials -- currently manning the land records computerisation -- have so far been trained, other batches would join soon.

According to Mukim, the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA) will start training over 500 collectorate officials next fortnight. The focus will be on attitudinal changes and public-friendly service. The officials would also be given basic computer training, he added.

Meanwhile, the National Informatics Center has already started working as the Collectorate Information Centre. The stage is being set to operate the single-window land records section for Karjan taluka from next week. ``Many officials are keen to learn computers and work on these machines,'' says Basant Brahmbhatt, NIC incharge.

Collectorate officials including S K Rana, circle officer, and H A Patel and A V Macchi, talatis, say working on computers is simpler and ensures efficiency. According to them, the public would be greatly benefited because of the speed the computers would bring in functioning.

Brahmbhatt adds that while one Pentium server with six computers has already been added to the NIC, another server with window-based system and four more terminals would be added in a week or two, which, she says, would also lead to speedier communication between different local departments and Gandhinagar offices.