Ghaziabad DM Dr Ajay Shankar Pandey says an integrated control room can help citizens negotiate departmental problems. By Ashok Nirwan
The Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh is counted in the sensitive and developing districts of the country. To solve the departmental problems of the citizens of Ghaziabad, the district administration has established an integrated control room. The special thing is that now complaints related to the functioning of 19 different departments of district administration can be easily registered under one roof. The Dynamic District Magistrate, Ghaziabad, Dr Ajay Shankar Pandey, shares more. Excerpts:
Ever since you were appointed as the District Magistrate of Ghaziabad, you have been facing one challenge after another but dealing with them successfully. Who would you want to give credit to?
I took charge of Ghaziabad District on July 15, 2019. It was a big challenge for me to successfully complete the Kavar Yatra. After this, the movement against the NRC and CAA, the removal of Section 370 and the decision on Ram Janmabhoomi brought challenges to the law and order. Apart from this, the biggest challenge was COVID-19. During this time, it was a huge task to provide treatment to the victims and also save the district from rumours, but succeeded in tackling these challenges by way of self-confidence, public support and the support of its administrative officers.
What steps have you taken to curb corruption in government departments?
When I had joined, initially, there were a lot of complaints regarding corruption in the city’s government departments. For the same, we made action plans regarding the lands so that the common man can complain and his name can stay confidential. This way, there will be no threat to his safety. We kept a black box in the Collectorate premises and kept the key with ourselves. Through this black box, the public filed their complaints in a confidential manner and after investigation of these letters, many major cases of corruption were revealed. Required action was also taken against many officers and employees.
What about the smart development of Ghaziabad metropolis. What were the steps taken?
I feel the National Highway of Delhi and Meerut-Expressway should be constructed as the country’s first rapid rail project. We are trying to clear all the hurdles for the progress. The construction of Dasna-Meerut Express was hampered at more than 252 points, which were removed after mutual discussion. Disputes related to land of farmers were also settled. Its construction was to be completed on November 30, 2020, but due to the pandemic, it had to be extended. Now, the project will be completed by the end of this month. As far as the Rapid Rail Project is concerned, land has been made available on Meerut Road after talking to farmers for Rapid Rail Depot.
Do you want to talk about any important scheme which is yet to be launched for the public?
After getting the green signal from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, work to establish an integrated control room in a district has begun. However, due to the pandemic, the first integrated control room was established in the state, which received a very good response. Now, the integrated control room, the problems of the general public related 19 departments, including medical, health and family planning, education, railway, food and logistics, disaster and relief, agriculture and pollution will be addressed. The control room will be constructed in Raj Nagar.