CHENNAI: A year after Mayor R Priya took charge, a public grievance meeting was organised for the first time in Royapuram on Wednesday, as part of the ‘Makkalai Thedi Mayor’ initiative. Residents of Royapuram zone submitted petitions for birth certificates, housing issues and old age pensions, which made up for most of the 401 petitions.
“I got down at the Mint bus stop and saw the board that the Mayor was meeting the public and so I came to request a housing allotment since my husband abandoned me and my children and we have nowhere to go,” Srimathi (name changed) said.
After submitting the petitions, residents receive an acknowledgement with a link that tells them which department their concern falls under, what the progress is and at which level it is pending. For 53 petitioners who had applied for birth certificates, the certificates were immediately issued along with five sewing machines for five women, nutrition kits for 17 pregnant women, cheques for victims of road accidents, and old age pensions for five beneficiaries, among others, were distributed.
As part of the Makkalai Thedi Mayor initiative, the plan is to visit one zone every fortnight, which means the Mayor would take approximately seven and a half months to cover all 15 zones of the corporation.
“Although it might take eight months to cover the city, the 15-day gap is not simply to solve petitions but to solve them immediately.
If you look at it that way, 15 days is a short time,” the Mayor said. HR&CE Minister PK Sekarbabu who was also at the redressal programme said if the need arises, the 15-day gap can be shortened to enable the Mayor to tour more zones. North Chennai councillors, MLAs, senior corporation officials, metro water and TANGEDCO representatives, among others, were present.