Report and pics: Inchara Digitals
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)
Udupi, Aug 2: "The state government had initiated the 'Janaspandana' mass contact programme with an intention to ensure that the government officials to go to the people and attend to their requirements. The citizens everywhere, particularly those residing in rural places, hesitate to come up with their problems. Because of this hesitation, the 'Janaspandana' programme is suffering for want of active support. The disinterestedness of the people is coming in the way of the government's vision of realizing the welfare state Gandhiji had envisioned," said in-charge president of the local zilla panchayat, Jerald D'Souza.
He was speaking after inaugurating the 'Janaspandana' programme of Kaup revenue division level on Saturday August 1. Expressing his unhappiness over the meagre number of applications received for this mass contact programme, in spite of the fact that publicity about the programme is undertaken sufficiently in advances, Fernandes warned that the government may think of withdrawing this programme and the people may have to roam from office to office to get their work done, if they fail to utilize this golden opportunity.
Udupi taluk panchayat in-charge president Katpady Shankar Poojary also exhorted the villagers to take interest in this programme, by realizing the potential this programme holds for them.
Zilla panchayat member Sarasu D Bangera, taluk panchyat members Jagadish Acharya, Arun Shetty Padoor, Ramesh Hegde Kalya and Navin Amin Shankarpura, Mallar gram panchayat president Jalaja Teacher, Innanje gram panchayat president Antony Martis, and several peoples' representatives participated as guests. Officials of various department, like Chandrashekhar Shetty, D V Hegde, Dr Nagaratna, Ravikant Kamat, Vijayanand Nayak, Sridhar Nayak, revenue inspector Satyanand Shetty, Kaup gram panchayat secretary Sundar Prabhu etc., were present.
Udupi tahisildar Prasanna welcomed. taluk panchayat executive officer Ramanand Nayak proposed vote of thanks.
Only Seven Applications: The lack interest of the people in this programme was evident from the fact that only seven applications, out of which five were under 'Sandhya Suraksha' scheme, were received prior to the programme here. The other two applications were regarding the poor quality of the works executed by the zilla panchayat. Even though it was publicized that the programme would be held in Mahadevi high school till Friday, the venue was shifted to Kalikamba temple at the last minute, because of the ongoing examinations in that school. Officials and people suffered because of the last-minute change.