People’s Pulse, a non-governmental organisation, has appealed to the constitutional heads of the Union Territory and MLAs to sink their differences and get along for the larger development of Puducherry.
In a memorandum to the Ministry of Home Affairs in the Union Territory, the Peoples Pulse illustrated the failure of the dual power centres in resolving problems of common citizens because of their lack of coordination.
People’s Pulse listed the failure to end “ bureaucratic apathy towards issues affecting the general public, ensuring punctuality of attendance at office of Government staff, failure to curb corruption for accessing civic needs, fleecing of tourists, and others by autorickshaw drivers and failure to conduct civic elections, as among the burning issues which had been left unaddressed.
“We, the citizens, feel the job of the Lieutenant Governor or the Chief Minister is not to sweep the streets themselves, but to ensure that those officials charged with the responsibilities do their work or face action for such failures. “This aspect has been regrettably ignored.
”The organisation urged the Lt. Governor to avoid a “confrontation” with the Chief Minister and MLAs, and make a sincere attempt to sort out mutual differences through discussions, while it called upon the Chief Minister and the MLAs to desist from accusatory tones while reacting to Lt. Governor’s intention.
Social service
While lauding some of the Lt. Governor’s initiatives, the organisation said the work of the Lieutenant Governor falls under the category of social service which could have been undertaken by any social organisation with support from the departments concerned.
“The crux of the matter is that the departments or officials who are responsible for these matters, have miserably failed to carry out these inherent responsibilities. None of the senior officers have been punished nor their explanation called for for such blatant failures. The net result is soon after the intervention of the L.G. or C.M., in isolated instances, matters have gone back to square one,” People’s Pulse said.
The NGO said at present, “a deep sense of frustration and disappointment permeates among the general public who feel that those responsible for the governance of the union territory tend to bask in the glory of their own self-aggrandisement and publicity while neglecting the people and their needs,” it said.
“The Ministry of Home Affairs will do well to take notice of the developments mentioned above and intervene effectively to restore normalcy and rule of law in the Union Territory”, the memorandum said.
