BENGALURU: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said on Friday that officials have been instructed to process appeals received in the ‘Government at Your Doorstep’ programme within a specific time frame.
Speaking to reporters after the public grievance redressal programme at Yelahanka, he said, “We have received about 2600 applications for today’s grievance redressal programme. We will segregate the appeals at the ward level and set a deadline for officials to resolve the issues.”
“We have taken the telephone numbers of all those who have submitted appeals. We will coordinate with them on each appeal. We are forming a separate team to resolve these issues,” he added.
“In cases where there are complaints about common community problems, officials have been instructed to physically visit the site and inspect. We will have a round of meetings with officials once these grievance redressal programmes are over,” he said.
“Officials must be aware of the fact that they can’t trouble people. We must ensure that people do not run from pillar to post to get their issues redressed,” the Deputy CM added.
Asked which departments have received a high number of appeals, he said, “There is a high number of appeals pertaining to BBMP and revenue departments. There are a lot of cases regarding the issue of khatha. A lot of people have requested for houses, but there is no provision to do so. There is a provision to provide housing at a discount; I will discuss with the department what best can be done.”
“There are a lot of appeals that the penalty for property tax defaults is high. I will discuss with the officials what is possible within the legal framework,” he said.
When asked about his call to people not to use touts, he said, “I have always maintained that people should not go after touts to get their issues redressed. I once again tell them to stay away from the agents; our government will do whatever it takes to resolve their issues. People have lost their properties due to agents. We are trying to create awareness about it.”
Reacting to the comments made by JDS on the arrest of karsevaks, he said, “JDS has just joined hands with the BJP, and they are already talking about karsevaks. Good luck to them.” (ANI)