The decision of the Election Commission not to resume the weekly public grievances day meetings in the districts even this Monday has come in for criticism from different sections of society.
With the Model Code of Conduct coming into force, the public grievances day meetings were suspended from the first week of March.
The meetings were expected to be resumed once polling was over on April 24. However, the Election Commission decided to put these meetings on hold till the counting was over.
With the results announced on May 16, the people presumed that the grievances day meetings in which all top officials of the district used to be present will be resumed from Monday (May 19).
The people who turned up at the collectorate here for handing over the petitions were shocked when they were told that the Election Commission has allowed the holding of these meetings only from next week. Further, people who come from surrounding villages are not aware that the meeting has not resumed.
“I have been coming here for the past two weeks, hoping that I can meet the officials. But even today, I could not meet them,” says K. Lakshmi who hails from Manikandam. She says that many people in her village have not received the old age pension.
Mahesh, who hails from Musiri, says prior information from the Election Commission on when the grievances day meetings will be resumed would have immensely benefited the people and lessened their burden. “It is causing trouble to us, since many of us have to take a day’s leave to visit the collectorate. I already lost two Mondays,” he says.
“I submitted a petition in the complaint box a few weeks ago. But action has not been taken till date,” says C. Jaya of Manachanallur.
Officials say that with the Election Commission withdrawing the code of conduct this Monday, the public grievances day meeting is likely to commence next Monday.
