Citizens pour out woes against Food and Revenue depts at redress meet

Citizens put across the maximum number of grievances against the Food and Revenue Departments, during a redress meet chaired by legislator C T Ravi at Kasaba hobli on Wednesday.

Social activist Jagadish said that the Food Department staff have been demanding bribes to issue ration cards. Also, there is a menace of middlemen in the taluk office, he said.

The MLA took the department officials to task on the occasion, following the complaint.

When a beneficiary said that the BPL cards are being cancelled, the Food department officer said that 1,030 cards in Chikkamagaluru taluk were invalid.

Shivakumar urged to provide title deeds to site-less. He said that there are 150 site-less and 49 homeless citizens in Hirekolale Panchayat limits. “If the card is cancelled, new application has to be submitted and those who have not renewed their cards should renew the same at the Panchayat office,” he said.

A villager alleged that a site belonging to the Panchayat – up to 20 guntas – had been transferred in the name of an individual. Several villages urged the legislator to take measures to clear the encroachments made by an estate owner.

Zilla Panchayat member Bhagya Ranganath, Taluk Panchayat President Meenakshi Dharmaiah, Executive Officer Dhanaraj members Kanakaraj Urs, Puttegowda and Assistant Commissioner Ramachandran were present among others, on the occasion.