Visit villages, understand people’s problems: CM

Change your attitude, or face the music, officials told

December 14, 2013 02:38 am | Updated 02:38 am IST - Mysore:

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at the Karnataka Development Programme meeting in Mysore on Friday, with Ministers V. Srinivas Prasad and H.C. Mahadevappa. Photo: M.A. Sriram

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at the Karnataka Development Programme meeting in Mysore on Friday, with Ministers V. Srinivas Prasad and H.C. Mahadevappa. Photo: M.A. Sriram

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday exhorted officials to “visit villages to get a first-hand experience of the problems of the people and their needs, and take steps to address them in earnest. Those refusing to do so will face the music.”

Mr. Siddaramaiah was presiding over the quarterly Karnataka Development Programme review meeting at the zilla panchayat hall here on Friday. Goading officials to “change their attitude”, he said grievances that could be addressed and solved at the taluk and district levels need not necessarily reach State level. He had come across a number of such grievances at the Janata Darshan programmes. Finding solutions at the taluk or district levels would also give people faith in the democratic set-up.

Mr. Siddaramaiah asked officials to resolve these matters quickly unless there was a serious “technical flaw.” Erring officials could face action initiated either by the district in-charge Ministers or district in-charge Secretaries in the future for laxity and dereliction. Officials should give up the habit of remaining confined to their offices.

The condition of SC/ST and backward classes hostels should be reviewed periodically to learn the needs of the students.

He noted that agricultural extension works had suffered in rural areas as officials had not inspected them.

Organising pension adalats is an important aspect of the administration, the Chief Minister said, adding, that the government was utilising peoples’ money (taxes) which, in turn, should be used for their welfare.

Referring to the recent elephant intrusions into Mysore and the straying of wild elephants into farmland in Hunsur and K.R. Nagar taluks, Mr. Siddaramaiah told Forest Department officials not to “sit in the Aranya Bhavan,” but move out and find solutions to the man-animal conflict.

The government is prepared to bear the cost of projects that can reduce the man-animal conflict, if officials will prepare comprehensive plans.

On the recent tiger attack, he said that if the cat had been captured after its first kill (in Bandipur), two deaths could have been prevented.

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