The mass contact programme whereby Chief Minister Oommen Chandy directly engages with people in the State to address their grievances will be launched again in July.
Disclosing this in a written reply to a question in the Assembly on Monday, the Chief Minister said the details were being worked out. In the first edition of the mass contact programme held across the State in the 14 district headquarters, the Chief Minister had received over 5 lakh petitions. Mr. Chandy informed the House that all petitions, except 1.25 lakh petitions in which legal and other issues were involved, had been settled.
The Chief Minister said the movement of files in the Secretariat would be made more transparent with the introduction of the Information Data Exchange Advanced System (IDEAS). The public would be able to know the movement of files and the time it took online.
Already, 20 lakh certificates, including Transfer of Registry, had been provided online by the Revenue Department.
More online services would be provided, Mr. Chandy said. The effort was to provide speedy and quality service to the public by all departments.
The Chief Minister, in reply to a question, said he had taken the initiative to change rules that stipulated that payment of compensation to the family of fishermen who had lost their lives at sea should be made only after seven years if their bodies were not recovered.
Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan told the House that 490 vigilance cases were pending against government officials. Of the cases, seven were more than 10 years old and 120 cases were one year old.
Minister for Excise and Ports K. Babu said 62 bar licences were given after the present government came to power. The applications of 46 hotels for bar licences had been rejected. The accused in 68 per cent of abkari cases registered in the State during 2012-13 had been convicted.
Mr. Babu, who also holds the charge of airport, said the Union government was yet to give a reply to relaxation of rules sought by the State to launch Air Kerala. The government was seeking exemption in the rules that stipulated five-year domestic flight operations and 20 aircraft in the fleet for the launch of international operations.
