Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday warned district-level officers of stern action if they failed to resolve the citizens' grievances locally. Citizens being forced to reach the state capital to find solutions to all their issues shows the failure of the district officials, Siddaramaiah said.
"The people's grievances must be addressed at the district level and must not reach the state capital. If people are forced to spend money and come to Bengaluru seeking a resolution to their problems, it is the failure of the district officials. Delay in grievance redressal is a form of corruption," said Siddaramaiah during the first "Jana Spandana" (meet-the-people) programme held at 'Krishna' - CM's home office in Bengaluru.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister received as many as 3,812 applications (including the petitions filed through QR code and helpline 1902) related to various departments including the Revenue, police, BBMP, social welfare, women and child development among others.
Many people had sought housing, pension, financial assistance for medical treatment and employment. CM Siddaramaiah interacted with the deputy commissioners and other district-level officers virtually, directing them to follow up on each case.
The chief minister who sought reports from the districts on similar meetings held in their respective districts, said, "The applications received today will be disposed of within 15 days by the concerned department officials. If the request cannot be met owing to the existing rules, the departments should intimate the CM's office about the reason for the same."
Speaking to reporters after the programme, the chief minister said there was an overwhelming response to the programme and that he would hold 'Jana Spandana' once every three months.
"We did not expect such a huge turnout. More than 3,000 people have given the applications today," said Siddaramaiah.
