The ‘village-stay’ programme by Deputy Commissioners of districts and other officials is the Revenue Department’s initiative of taking the administration to the public’s doorstep, Revenue Minister R. Ashok has said.
Speaking to presspersons after his arrival at Chabbi village in Hubballi taluk of Dhawad district on Saturday for the ‘village-stay’ programme, Mr. Ashok said that already the programme had been well received by the public and the legislators were demanding that the programme be held in villages of their respective constituencies.
The Minister said that his first ‘village-stay’ programme was in Doddaballapur taluk and the second was in Chabbi of Bombay- Karnataka region and the programme had led to the desired result. In the coming days suitable guidelines would be framed to allow participation of elected representatives in the programme, he said.
Mr. Ashok said that all these years, the people were made to run from pillar to post for getting various works done. “Deputy Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners, tahsildars.. all are public servants. We don’t want people to wait before government offices with folded hands. The objective of the programme is to make the officials to visit the villages and take administration to the doorsteps,” he said.
The Minister said that from the last 15 days, the officials of the Revenue Department had been visiting Chabbi village and collected a list of grievances and applications.
“The programme is not just a mere formality. Officials have been strictly instructed to resolve all the issues pertaining to the Revenue Department within 24 hours,” he said.
On his arrival at the village, the Minister visited Siddharoodh Mutt and took blessings. Subsequently he was taken in a procession in a bullock cart and the residents gave him a traditional welcome.
Chairman of the Legislative Council Basavaraj Horattti, Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad Nitesh Patil, ZP CEO B. Susheela, Assistant Commisioner Gopalkrishna, tahsildars Prakash Nashi and Shashidhar Madyal, and others were present.
As Mr. Ashok was proceeding to the Dalit colony (Ambedkar Colony), a group of girls clad in school uniforms appealed to him to set up a high school in the village and also provide additional bus facilities.
The Minister promised the children that he would take requisite measures and told them that a residential school was being held at neighbouring Sherewad village at a cost of ₹24 crore and already 6.5 acres of land had been sanctioned for the purpose.
He promised students Akshata, Prema, Manjula, and Chaitra that a proposal would be sent to set up a high school and temporarily additional buses would be provided.
The Minister then had tea at the resident of Kallappa Doddamani and heard grievances of the colony members and promised to take steps to meet their demands. He was accompanied by former MLA S.I. Chikkanagouda and others.
