A report is a compilation of facts that are gathered through actual inspection of the place, talking to people, seeing records, if available, etc.
The report can, however, be sought and used by very different authorities. An Editor of a newspaper or a news channel might have an army of reporters stationed in different locations, who inundate his table with reports all through the day. It’s the job of the editorial staff to screen them and decide which one would be printed in which form.
In bureaucracy, and governance, reports are generally sought from senior officers when anything untoward happens and the government is keen to have a clear picture of them. The fact-finding may be entrusted to a group of elected representatives, if the government wants to make the report credible before the public.
A report in a newspaper informs us, and might trigger remedial action by the government later. It might galvanize public opinion too on certain issues. In contrast, a report prepared by a government functionary, almost everywhere, fixes responsibility, and suggests remedial action.
Example .. See how the incident “A fire tragedy in an orphanage” takes two widely different forms as we go from a news paper toa government department.
Newspaper format ….
To
The Editor (Since it is trans mitted through e[-mail generally, name of paper, time and date of reporting are not required. They appear automatically or are known to both sides.)
Jabalpur, 4pm – The oldest orphanage of Jabalpur situated close to the railway station was engulfed in flames at around 1.00pm when a part of the kitchen roof caved in leading to gas stove in the kitchen catching fire and exploding in seconds. At least 13 inmates had to be rushed to the hospital. The Collector and the Fire Chief visited the orphanage. The rest of the inmates have been evacuated and lodged temporarily in the hoigh school building. This is the first fire accident of this summer in Jabalpur, infamous for its blazing summer.
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Government report format..
From
The Deputy Collector, Jabalpur
To
The Secretary, Child and Youth Affairs, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal
(Through proper channel)
Report on Fire tragedy in Jabalpur orphanage
The orphanage suffered a fire tragedy at about 1 pm on …….. when almost the entire roof of the kitchen collapsed, leading to the explosion of the gas stove, and the sprinkling of hot food items on the inmates who stood there for lunch. Nearly 20 of them sustained burn injuries. There was deafening scream from those affected. The Asst. Superintendent summoned the Fire Brigade and the ambulance. Those admitted are said to be out of danger.
The orphanage building was built in 1903, and has not been put through any major repair or maintenance so far. This is primarily the reason for the kitchen roof to cave in. It’s a sad story of neglect, apathy, and callousness of the government and the elected representatives. Although, the sanctioned capacity of the building is 350, it houses nearly 712 inmates. The interior looks appallingly dirty and unhygienic.
Preliminary estimates indicate that a sum of Rs. 1.78 crores will be needed to carry out comprehensive renovation. The job might take four months.
Since, there is palpable anger among the people about the way the orphans have been neglected by the government, I feel the repair work needs to be completed at the earliest.
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