HYDERABAD: Noting a need for responsive administration and a lack of active civil society organisations, a group of retired civil servants, including IPS, IAS, IRS, and IFS officers, along with other distinguished individuals from across fields have come together to form a non-political organisation named Citizen Forum Telangana (CFT).
The forum aims to bridge the gap between the government and common citizens, said VK Singh, retired IPS officer and coordinator of the forum.
“From what I have seen, almost 70% of public problems can be addressed if taken up to the right authorities,” Singh told TNIE. “A lot of people, especially in villages and mandals are unable to reach out to the right contact or authority.
Speaking at the first public meeting held on Thursday, the members of the forum said that their focus is to promote good governance, responsive administration, accountability and accessibility within government offices. “We will not take up individual cases but will focus on social welfare issues like healthcare, education, environmental protection and municipal administration,” Singh added.
Currently, the forum consists of 19 members in the Pratinidhi mandal or representative delegation. “In all, we have over 100 members involved in the forum’s activities across the districts,” said B Vinoda Laxmi, educationist and member of the Pratinidhi mandal. “We have been speaking with people in villages and districts to understand their local issues so that these can be brought up to the authorities,” she added.
Asserting that the forum is non-political, members of the forum expressed that they intend to serve as an election watchdog in the future.