Tags:
Journalism of Courage
AURANGABAD, May 24: Bhaskara is one indignant lady. To her greedy LPG dealer, it means granting a measly gas connection. But to her it means never having to inhale soot from the chula again. The dealer, Venkatesh Gas Agency, insists that she purchase a cooking stove from him if she wants a gas connection. Even a consumer court order fails to tame his avarice.
Today, Bhaskara awaits deliverance from an unexpected quarter 8212; the Government. But she is not the only victim of officialdom who congregates at the District Collectorate8217;s conference hall here between the 15th and 20th of every month. Like her, scores of others who have been given the runaround by various Government departments wait to take the gloves off and for the Janata Darbar to begin.
8220;The objective is to provide a forum for citizens8217; grievances, no matter how petty. And care has been taken to see that it is not hijacked by local politicians and ministers by barring their entry. On an average, about 50 persons from all over the district attend,8221; Chahal told The Indian Express. The forum has met four times in as many months, with the last meeting attracting about 70 persons.
With representatives from about 90 Government departments at each meeting, there is seldom a problem that does not get a fair hearing. 8220;Initially, we had decided to have only the collector, superintendent of police, municipal commissioner and chief executive officer of the civic administration present. But now I have made it mandatory for the heads of all government departments to be present,8221; Chahal explains. Hence, even if the bulk of cases pertain to matters such as education, irrigation, land records and civilsupplies, it is common to find representatives from the pollution and weights and measures departments also present.
On an average, about 30-40 cases are cleared at each meeting but several people have to make more than one trip till their complaint is finally solved.
By the time the District Grievances Forum convenes, the conference hall is abuzz with citizens passionately debating their problems. Irate but extremely hopeful, they congregate with sheaves of correspondence and memoranda pertaining to their individual cases.
Bhangare from Paithan is a satisfied man today. He had submitted a complaint against a private school in his taluka which had excess teachers on its rolls. The collector subsequently wrote to the Zilla Parishad education officer, who conducted a surprise check to verify the information. The appropriate action has already been taken.
But Sunil Gaikwad is a trifle skeptical. A retired primary school teacher, he has been shuttling between various government offices since the last twoyears for his pension.
Vijay Sawant finds himself in the same predicament. A farmer from Dhulambri, he has made countless trips to the Maharashtra State Electricity Board office pleading with officials to install an electric pump in his fields. Sudhakar Shinde has a daughter in Std X at a school at Paithan and he is tired of suffering humiliation at the tehsildar8217;s office. All he wants is a caste certificate for his daugther. As for Manohar Patil, a manufacturer of weights and measures, he sees no reason why his clients should be harassed by government officials who claim his equipment is faulty.
Now, the collector says, things should change. The date of each meeting is announced at the beginning of every month and citizens have to submit their complaints in writing to the collectorate by the 15th. Notes are then circulated to the departments concerned so that the officials come armed with information when the forum convenes at the month-end. At the meeting, the complainant takes up the matter with theofficial concerned in person and the collector arbitrates on the matter. A deadline is then fixed and the case is followed to its logical conclusion.
