Date:16/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/16/stories/2008081659981100.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Good response to civic interface forum

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: Efforts are on full swing to ensure that the District Administration and Residents’ Associations for Timely Solutions (DARTS), an interface between different departments under the district administration and representatives of residents’ associations, takes off successfully.

The idea is to form a platform, similar to the Police Residents’ Associations Initiative in District Ernakulam (PRIDE), to accept complaints related to various departments like the Kerala Water Authority, Kerala State Electricity Board, Public Works Department, Departments of Civil Supplies, Health, Revenue, Agriculture, Excise and Motor Vehicles and the Local Self-Government bodies. The forum was launched at a meeting convened by the District Collector recently.

“Nearly 250 complaints have been received. These need to be sorted out department-wise and forwarded to the officials concerned. As the system is not in place at present, we will be doing this initially and this is going to cause some delay,” said P. Rangadasa Prabhu, president of the Ernakulam District Residents’ Associations Apex Council (EDRAAC). Even though it was decided that DARTS will meet every month, the delay in segregating the complaints is likely to push this month’s meeting to next month. “From the next meeting onwards, representatives of residents’ associations will be able to directly file complaints with the departments concerned,” said Mr. Prabhu.

Council plea

The Residents’ Apex Council of Kerala has called for urgent intervention for solving the text-book issue. The meeting also decided to bring the issue of allotting new ration cards and ensuring distribution of special quota of rice, sugar and kerosene for Onam to the attention of the Minister for Civil Supplies. The meeting removed State working president Amaravila Ramakrishnan Nair from the post on disciplinary grounds.

State president Hashim Parakkadan presided over the function and general secretary Krishnan Kavuvila presented the report.