Hyderabad: Common people in Telangana are struggling to meet Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to air their grievances as the state government has failed to provide any mechanism for the purpose.
Earlier, the CMs in the undivided state used to conduct “praja durbars” regularly to enable people to meet them personally and submit petitions.
At present, however, there is no scope for common people to meet Mr Rao either at the Secretariat or at his camp office in Begumpet due to heavy security restrictions.
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Even after seven months of assuming charge, Mr Rao has failed to restore “praja durbars”.
People are angry at the way they are being ill-treated at the Secretariat and the camp office when they ask for permission to meet the CM. It is more humiliating because they are being insulted in their own state, while it was easier to meet the Chief Minister in the undivided state.
Former CM Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy had started “praja durbars” during his tenure between 2004 and 2009, which became a huge hit. It was later continued by successive CMs K. Rosaiah and Kiran Kumar Reddy.
Hundreds of visitors would be allowed inside the Begumpet camp office in morning and evening sessions. Issues relating to pensions, ration cards, scholarships, fee reimbursement, Aarogyasri, housing etc. would be petitioned by the people and many of their problems would get instant solutions.
Senior officials of respective departments were asked to be present during the “praja durbars” and the applications submitted by the people were examined on the spot and resolved within a stipulated time-frame.
Of late, Mr Rao has been maintaining a distance not only from the general public but also from elected representatives. The CMO had apparently issued a circular recently to the security personnel asking them not to allow even MLAs, MPs and other public representatives to meet the CM unless they have prior appointments.
The norm all these years was that public representatives had free entry to the CMO. But security personnel are insisting on appointments since last Tuesday. These restrictions are inviting the wrath of not only common people but also public representatives who feel let down.
