Grievance redressal meetings at Madurai Collectorate usually teems with people waiting to meet officials and submit their petitions.
These people come from all places across the district. After spending on bus fare, they cough up ₹30 to ₹100 with a ‘petition writer’ to ensure that their letters are written in the right format. The cost varies depending on one’s haggling techniques and the size of the petition.
But on this Monday, however, there was an unusual sight at the Collectorate. A group of 20 volunteers from Nehru Yuva Kendra (NYK) sat behind a long table and started writing the petitions for the public for free.
Collector T. G. Vinay said, “Many people travel long distances to submit their petition but end up seeking the help of writers who sometimes charge exorbitantly. To stop this practice, we approached a voluntary organisation which redirected us to this group of 20 people from NYK,” he said.
The Collector said the volunteers had been taught to just write the basic gist of each petition. “Most of the time, petitions are very long. We have told volunteers to write the gist and provide certain sub-heads so that it is easy for filing,” he said. He added that when the petitions are redirected to the officials concerned, they will file detailed reports.
M. Meenakshi, a volunteer, said they would be available from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Monday. Apart from volunteering to write petitions, people can also approach them for other basic help. "We are also interested in cleaning the campus. Differently abled people can come to us for other help as well,” she said.
Ms. Meenakshi said the volunteers would come in a batch of 20 on rotation. “This service is fulfilling. We also get to understand the working of the government machinery in a better way. People need not fall prey to petition writers any more,” she said.
Another volunteer P. S. Vaishnavi said the volunteers needed more training to write petition in a better way. The Collector said he would arrange a two-day workshop for the same.
S. Rajapushpam, a petitioner who has been coming to the Collectorate for three years, seeking a government job for herself, appreciated the novel service. “I come from Kallikudi and spend ₹75 for bus fare. Until today, I paid ₹40 for my petition. Now, I can save it. The volunteers are kind too,” she said.
