Karnataka - Bangalore

Go to villages at least once a week, Revenue officials told

Bangalore: Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa along with a group of nearly 10 Ministers, including Home Minister V.S. Acharya, Excise Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu and Transport Minister R. Ashok on Wednesday held a high-level in-camera meeting with nearly 50 top officials.

It was aimed at toning up the administration and implementation of the budgeted programmes.

It was the first time that a daylong “brainstorming” session was held by a Chief Minister in over a decade. The venue was the Bangalore campus of the Indian Institute of Management.

After a brief introductory remarks by the Chief Minister, the officials took the dais to air their opinions and the manner in which the programmes could be implemented. Mr. Yeddyurappa directed the officials of the Revenue Department, particularly tahsildars and deputy commissioners, to visit villages and taluk headquarters at least once a week.

The tahsildars were told to camp in the villages every Saturday and resolve the grievances of the people on the spot. Deputy commissioners have been asked to clear all pending files every Saturday.

A Government notification to this effect (for tahsildars and deputy commissioners to visit villages) would be issued shortly, and senior officials of the Revenue Department have been asked to monitor the implementation.

Incidentally, most of the grievances represented to the Chief Minister by the people from the villages were largely owing to the poor response that they received from the tahsildars and deputy commissioners.

The Chief Minister also constituted a high-level committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to monitor the implementation of development works, including programmes chalked out at the high-level meeting.

While the high-level level meeting akin to that of today would be held every three months, the Chief Secretary-level committee would meet at regular intervals. Mr. Yeddyurappa also said that the State Cabinet would meet every Thursday (between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.) and soon after the meeting, the Ministers would sit in their chambers and clear all pending issues.

Senior officials of their respective departments would also provide the required assistance to the Ministers in resolving various issues.

“I will stick to this schedule and clear all pending files.” Legislators would also be welcome to meet Ministers on Thursday (after 5 p.m.) and spell out the problems in their respective Assembly constituencies and seek redressal.

With reference to providing hi-tech medical care in rural areas, the Chief Minister said the support of corporate hospitals would be sought.

In every district, the revenue authorities would be asked to set apart five acres of land for starting hi-tech hospitals.

With the creation of such modern healthcare facilities , the people need not travel long distances for healthcare facilities.

He said that in every Assembly constituency at least 10 villages would be selected to serve as model villages. These villages would be provided all attention to ensure all-round development, and over a period of time all the villages in each constituency would be covered.

Apart from the officials, the legislator of the constituency concerned should also coordinate.

In his concluding remarks, the Chief Minister told the officials that he expected total compliance to the decisions arrived at the meeting.

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