Mehsana (Gujarat) [India], July 1 : In a pioneering move to bring governance directly to rural citizens, the Mehsana District Panchayat on Wednesday launched Gujarat's first-ever 'Jila Panchayat Aapne Dwaar' (District Panchayat at Your Doorstep) initiative from the sacred Shaktipeeth Bahucharaji.
Spearheaded by District Panchayat President Nitinbhai Patel, the campaign aims to eliminate the need for rural residents to travel long distances to district headquarters by offering on-the-spot resolutions for pending grievances related to roads, water supply, and panchayat administration.
To ensure accountability and expedite administrative processes, progress will be monitored through monthly taluka-level reviews using a dedicated master register, a release said.
At the programme organised at Annapurna Bhavan in Bahucharaji, a large number of applicants from Bahucharaji and nearby rural areas participated and presented issues related to roads, drinking water, borewells, the presence of Talatis in Gram Panchayats and the construction of new Gram Panchayat buildings.
Nitinbhai Patel listened to every representation with utmost seriousness and sought explanations from the concerned departmental officers present on the spot. He instructed all administrative officers to ensure that public grievances are resolved within the stipulated time frame and that citizens are not subjected to unnecessary inconvenience.
During the programme, detailed discussions were held on various public welfare works. Representations were made to complete the remaining 200-metre stretch of the road on the Shankhalpur Kalari Bypass that has been delayed due to a canal, to reconstruct and widen the damaged road from Dodiwada Adivada to Khambhel Chokdi, and to complete the pending work on the Kanoda Ranela Road at the earliest.
In addition, demands such as appointing a permanent Talati in Ranela Gram Panchayat, constructing a new Panchayat building and building a new Akba Bariyaf Road were also taken up for consideration.
Villagers also strongly urged the administration to construct a new borewell in Saduthala village and to restore the State Transport bus services that have remained suspended for a long time due to the Ratej Rajpura Delhi railway underpass.
On the occasion, Mehsana District Panchayat President Nitinbhai Patel stated that the primary objective of the programme is to ensure that administrative services reaches every person with ease and that local issues are resolved at the local level itself. To make the process more transparent and effective, a separate master register will be maintained in every taluka by the Chitnis to record all representations and monitor their follow-up. The district administration will review these issues every month, and matters falling under the jurisdiction of the State Government will be forwarded to the appropriate level to ensure their prompt resolution.
At the beginning of the programme, Bahucharaji TDO JJ Chaudhary briefed the gathering on the framework of this innovative initiative. Along with the public grievance hearing, certificates under various government welfare schemes were also distributed at the venue. Beneficiaries received certificates for Ayushman Cards, income certificates and caste certificates from the officials.