Days after the Janta Darbar at the State BJP headquarters landed the State Government in misery following the suicide of a transporter and its tumultuous aftermath, the State Ministers seem to be switching over to social networking sites like facebook to hear out and address the people’s grievances. Things seem to have started with the State Finance Minister Prakash Pant having taking recourse to facebook to address the people’s grievances on Saturday. Though the Minister said that such things stated long before, the widely perceived number 2 in the State Cabinet resorting to facebook to hear out grievances a few days following the fiery aftermath of the transporter’s death can hardly fail to raise eyebrows. “It seems that the shaken by the incident and its aftermath, the ruling party is dithering over whether to continue with the Janta Darbar system or not. Communication through facebook does not involve risk of recurrence of Prakash Pandey incident,” says a state watcher.
Pant on Saturday heard out grievances of the people through Facebook between 12 pm and 2 pm and ordered the officers concerned to redress the grievances raised in course of the facebook interaction at the earliest. Besides, Pant asked the people to put forward their suggestions about the upcoming 2018-19 budget.
Post-interaction, he said that a large number of people have given suggestions for the overall development of the State and also shared their problems during his two- hour communication on facebook and the Govt is committed to sort out their problems. “Suggestions given by the people about the forthcoming budget would be seriously considered and included,” he assured.
He said that some have stressed on prompt appointment of teachers in the schools. “Many say that doctors should be sent to the State-run hospitals. Some raise the issues related to agriculture. Besides, generation of employment opportunities in the rural areas has come up too.
We would give serious consideration to the collective suggestion as the Government is committed to the welfare of the people,” the Minister said.
It is learnt that 10, 335 people have communicated with the Minister and articulated their concerns. “In all, 2535 public issues have been acted upon and the Government officers have been directed on mobile phones to redress the rest,” Pant said.
Sounding worried over unemployment problem plaguing the State, triggering migration from the hills to the plains, the Minister said that the Government would go the whole hog of addressing this problem. “Migration must be stopped at any cost and generation of employment in the hills is a paramount task for the state government to stop it.
We are working hard to lay sound basic infrastructure and provide basic amenities in the hills like quality education, health facility, peyjal and power,” Pant said.
The Minister urged the people to raise their concerns through social networking sites before the people’s representatives and the Government officers. “We would surge ahead fast in the path of development while using every means available to us of communicating with the people, hearing out their grievances and acting on them promptly,” the Minister said.