Joint Public Grievance Hearing Camp Held in Chilika ;

43 grievances received; six resolved on the spot, officials directed to expedite disposal of remaining grievances.

Dillip Kumar Pattnaik

KHORDHA, SEPTEMBER 21: A joint public grievance hearing was organised by the Khordha district administration at Chilika block on Monday with the objective of providing people with direct access to senior officials and ensuring speedy resolution of their individual and community-level grievances.
The hearing was held at the Chilika Block Conference Hall, where residents from different parts of the block brought forward their problems before senior administrative and departmental officials. The grievances covered a range of issues relating to public services and local development.
The hearing was presided over by Chief Development Officer-cum-Executive Officer, Zilla Parishad, Khordha, Jyoti Shankar Sahu, and Khordha Superintendent of Police Parmar Smith Parushottam Das. Officials from various departments attended the camp and heard the grievances before directing the concerned authorities to initiate necessary action.
Among those present were Sub-Collector, Khordha, Sankalp Swastik Sahu; Chief District Medical and Public Health Officer Dr.Sanjay Chandra Ray; Chilika Block Development Officer Poonam Mohapatra; the Tahasildar; and Assistant Collector, Grievance Cell, Bhubaneswari Kanhar, besides several other senior officials.
According to the district administration, a total of 43 grievances were received during the hearing. Of these, 39 were individual grievances, while four were related to rural issues. Six grievances were resolved on the spot during the hearing.
The concerned departmental officials were directed to examine the remaining complaints and take necessary action at the earliest. Emphasis was laid on ensuring that grievances were not merely received and kept pending, but were followed up for disposal within a stipulated timeframe.
The presence of officials from several departments at a single venue enabled complainants to directly interact with the authorities concerned. Representatives from departments dealing with education, health, transport, social welfare, horticulture and other public services participated in the hearing.
Officials were also instructed to assess the ground realities relating to the complaints, initiate appropriate measures and monitor the progress of cases until their disposal.
District Social Welfare Officer Kusum Kumari Praharaj and Assistant Director, Horticulture, Shriya Shashwati were among the officials present at the camp. District-level officers, line department officials and representatives of the three-tier Panchayati Raj institutions also participated.
The administration maintained that such joint grievance hearings provide an opportunity for people, including those coming from distant areas, to place their problems directly before senior officials and learn about the action being initiated for their redressal.
The concerned departments have been asked to take prompt follow-up action on the remaining grievances and ensure their early disposal.