Encroachement continues to dominate DC phone-ins

Officer loses cool over a call on seeking extra funds for TP

In a phone-in programme that was organised by the district administration, DC Harsh Gupta received calls from people from rural areas, and majority of those were about various kinds of encroachments.
 
There were other kinds too — some were completely unconnected to the topic. When a caller Ramesh called from Saragur seeking additional funds for town panchayat, DC tried explaining to him that this was an inappropriate platform to air this complaint. Gupta lost his cool when the caller persisted and got pushy with the issue, and minced no words in telling the caller to end the call.

“This programme has been organised to hear and address the issues of people living in rural areas and is not meant to sort out town panchayat problems. Put the phone down, this programme is not for you,” he said furiously.

Over 30 complaints were lodged during the programme and most of them were about illegal encroachment.

Those apart, issues pertaining to changing of khatas, demands for plying of government buses to some remote areas, schools to be set up in rural areas, and officers who remained non-chalant to applications submitted under right to information act, figured in the programme.  After eliciting required information pertaining to complaints on the spot, Gupta directed officials to take neccessary steps to meet some demands made by the people.

While Ratan Shekhar from Kalkunda, in Nanjangud taluk had called to complain about problems relating to insufficient drinking water with faulty hand pump that was yet to be repaired by the officials, Pratap from Mysore city had called seeking a ban on use of plastic and implement rain water harvesting in city, strictly. 

H G Bhaskar of Ravandur in Periyapatna taluk, Suresh, Someshekhar from Hunsur, Gopalaiah of H D Kote, Mahadevaswamy of Jayapura hobli and others called in to complain about massive encroachment of lands that had taken place in their villages and sought DC’s attention on the issue. About 39 people met DC face-to-face and submitted complaints in written format.

The Deputy Commissioner then held a meeting regarding public grievances in various departments.

Govt servant accused of encroachment

Suresh from Ravandur who had called in complain, had a startling information regarding encroachment that was being carried out by a government official. Mentioning Survey no. 187, which as per records is a government land, Suresh said an official was building his house by encroaching the plot. Immediately, Harsh Gupta ordered the activity be stopped and the officer be issued a notice, if found guilty.

Expressing his displeasure at an RTO officer who had come ill prepared for the meeting, DC said: “What did you think? That I was organising a film show for you here? Why did you not bring neccessary documents?” His comment on lack of administrational skills among officers who barely knew how to hold a mike to be able to answer a question, left the officers red-faced.