Odisha: After years, hearing of public grievances by CM Mohan Charan Majhi begins under the new BJP govt

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has revived the much-awaited public grievance hearing, which has been discontinued since 2008. On the first day, a large number of people from different parts of Odisha thronged Bhubaneswar to place their grievances before Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. The Chief Minister’s Grievance Chamber witnessed a huge crowd of people from early morning.

CM Mohan Majhi, who had earlier announced that the new Govt will revive CM’s grievance cell and would listen to the grievances of the general public every Monday,  gave a patient hearing to the problems faced by common people.

On the first day with CM Mohan Majhi, Deputy chief minister KV Singh Dev and some  other ministers were also present at the grievance cell.

As the CM personally heared the grievances, people turn up in large numbers to make the government aware of their problems.

The development assumes significance as former CM Naveen Patnaik was not coming to the public grievance cell. A lot of people alleged that their grievances fell on deaf ears in the past government.

The Chief Minister said during the previous government there was an iron wall between the people and the government. That wall is gone today. A direct relationship between the people and the government has been established.

The chief minister also said that listening to the people and trying to find a solution is a priority in a democracy. He said that hearings have been started at all 30  district level from today after his direction. The process will be strengthened further.

He expressed hope that there would be fewer complaints at the state level as people’s problems could be resolved at the district level.

CM expressed happiness over the public grievance hearing and said that action has been initiated on around 99 per cent of the grievances received during the programme.

As a hearing was held in the Chief Minister’s Grievance Cell for the first time,  extensive arrangements were made by the Department of Public Administration and the Department of Information and Public Relations. It is reported that such complaints hearing program will continue every Monday. A total of 1,540 complaints were registered today, with more than 5,000 people coming forward.

It may be noted that former CM  Naveen Patnaik had heard to the plight of people on 76 occasions. He had attended the grievance cell for the highest number of 20 days in 2001 Naveen Patnaik  had last visited to the CM’s grievance cell for a hearing on August 16, 2008.

In his 24 years at the helm as Chief Minister, Patnaik  Since then the grievance cell has been functioning till Covid-19 struck with one additional secretary and two joint secretaries handling the affairs.