Gujarat CM Patel directs authorities to ensure serious, time-bound resolution of citizens' grievances
Gandhinagar, June 22
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, on Monday, during the State SWAGAT Programme for June 2026, provided necessary guidance and issued clear directions to the concerned departments and district administrations to ensure the speedy, transparent, and time-bound resolution of citizens' grievances, according to an official statement released by the Chief Minister's Office.
In this regard, CM clearly directed district-level officers to conduct a thorough examination of applications and take appropriate decisions at the district level itself. He further instructed that representations falling within the jurisdiction of the State Government should be forwarded to the Government without delay. CM emphasised that applicants should not be made to wait unnecessarily for decisions on their grievances.
The CMO stated that during the State-Level SWAGAT Online Public Grievance Redressal Programme for June 2026, the CM personally heard the representations of citizens and reviewed their grievances with utmost sensitivity.
The State SWAGAT Programme, which is usually held on the fourth Thursday of every month, was conducted on Monday, 22 June 2026, in view of the Statewide Shala Praveshotsav scheduled from 23 to 25 June 2026.
More than 120 applicants were present at the Public Relations Unit of the Chief Minister's Office with their representations. Additionally, a total of over 5,200 representations received through the SWAGAT --including 2,228 applications received under District SWAGAT and 2,854 under Taluka SWAGAT--were forwarded to the concerned departments for necessary action and further redressal.
As per the CMO, farmers from Chhota Udepur and Mehsana districts submitted representations before the CM, raising issues related to rehabilitation land allotment, encroachments on gauchar land, and discrepancies arising from land re-survey processes.
An applicant from Chhota Udepur district represented before the CM that, despite his original land having been submerged due to an irrigation project, the alternative land allotted to him under the rehabilitation package had not been allotted for a prolonged period.
Taking serious note of the matter, CM directed the concerned authorities to ensure immediate allotment of the alternative land and stated that the applicant should not be subjected to repeated hardship on account of a lack of coordination between the collectors of the two districts and the Irrigation Department. Assigning primary responsibility to the Irrigation Department, he directed that alternative land be allotted within 30 days.
An applicant from Mehsana district complained about a reduction in land area due to re-survey discrepancies. CM instructed the District Collector to ensure immediate measurement and complete corrective action regarding the area discrepancy within 15 days.
He also directed the ILR office to discharge its responsibilities diligently and ensure the timely resolution of issues relating to land measurement and re-survey area corrections affecting farmers.
The CM further instructed the concerned authorities to avoid unnecessary correspondence between the Mamlatdar and ILR offices and instead ensure proper coordination and monitoring to resolve such issues within the stipulated timeframe.
In another case, the CMO stated that despite a decision having been taken at the District SWAGAT level regarding encroachment on gauchar land in Visnagar taluka, action had been delayed, and the encroachment remained. CM directed the District Collector to remove the encroachment from the gauchar land with immediate effect.
CM further stated that the District Collector is the appropriate authority for resolving district-level issues and should take proactive leadership in ensuring timely and effective decisions on public grievances.
By demonstrating sensitivity towards public welfare concerns in all the representations received during the State SWAGAT Programme and emphasising prompt grievance redressal, CM reinforced the spirit of citizen-centric governance.
Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary Ajay Kumar, Officers on Special Duty Dhiraj Parekh and Rakesh Vyas, along with senior secretaries of the concerned departments, were present during the State SWAGAT programme.
District Collectors and administrative officials concerned with the representations joined through video conferencing and provided relevant details and information regarding the matters presented before the Chief Minister.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Good to see the CM personally hearing grievances. The gauchar land encroachment case from Visnagar is a classic example—if district SWAGAT decided it already, why wasn't it implemented? That's where the system fails. Putting the onus on the District Collector makes sense; they need to be accountable. 👏
The re-survey discrepancy case from Mehsana is a huge issue across Gujarat. Farmers losing land due to measurement errors—and then having to run between Mamlatdar and ILR offices for years. CM's directive to stop the "correspondence ping-pong" is spot on. Let's see if Mamlatdars actually coordinate now. 15 days is tight but necessary.
Interesting approach—the SWAGAT programme seems like a good way to cut through red tape. In many countries, public grievance systems are digitized but lack personal oversight. The CM personally hearing 120+ applicants is impressive. Though I wonder: how many of the 5,200 forwarded applications actually get resolved? Numbers are one thing, outcomes another.
Respect for the CM's sensitivity, but let's be honest—SWAGAT has been running for years, yet we still see repeated issues like encroachment and land allotment delays. Why can't the system work without the CM having to intervene every month? Needs better training at the taluka level. At least the irrigation department got the blame in the Chhota Udepur case. 🙏
The Shala Praveshotsav rescheduling shows good planning—
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