BENGALURU: In the biggest-ever Janaspandana, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah received over 3,800 applications within six hours on Monday. The entire state government machinery had shifted to the CM’s official residence as the CM and bureaucrats tried to resolve issues presented by people from across the state. The CM set a deadline of 15 days to officials to resolve them.
The CM’s Office said 3,812 applications were received, of which 2,862 had already been registered in the IPGRS application, while 950 were received by the CM on the spot. Those too will be registered and sent to officers concerned for resolution. Siddaramaiah said Janaspandana will be held once every three months.
The CM warned officials that the number of complaints should be lesser next time and he would visit government offices regularly to ensure proper functioning. From the time the public grievance meeting started at 10.45 am, the CM sat through the entire programme without taking any break. Despite the huge rush, the CM kept his composure and even cracked jokes with some of the applicants.
He met thousands of people from all walks of life, including anganwadi workers, doctors and techies. Most of the applicants were women.
After the Janaspandana, Siddaramaiah told officials that delayed resolution of complaints filed by people is another form of corruption. “If these issues were resolved at the district level, there was no need for people to spend money and come all the way to Bengaluru,” he said.
The CM slammed deputy commissioners and zilla panchayat chief executive officers for their laxity in addressing issues. The resolution should be within legal ambit and if there is a delay, officials should give appropriate reasons.
While most complaints were related to financial aid for health ailments, transfers, land encroachment and harassment, a few were for inclusion in panchayat committees and chairpersons’ posts in boards and corporations. The CM is expected to conduct a similar exercise before he presents the next budget.