Gujarat: Mehsana launches first 'District Panchayat at Your Doorstep' programme
Mehsana, July 1
The Mehsana District Panchayat has launched what it describes as Gujarat's first 'District Panchayat at Your Doorstep' programme, an initiative aimed at resolving public grievances closer to where people live and reducing the need for residents of rural areas to travel to the district headquarters.
The programme was inaugurated on Wednesday from the renowned Shaktipeeth at Bahucharaji under the guidance of Mehsana District Panchayat President Nitin Patel.
It seeks to bring district-level administration directly to villages by providing residents with a platform to present pending civic and public welfare-related issues before senior officials.
The first public hearing was held at Annapurna Bhavan in Bahucharaji, where a large number of residents from Bahucharaji and neighbouring villages raised concerns relating to roads, drinking water supply, borewells, the availability of village revenue officials (Talatis) at gram panchayats and the construction of new gram panchayat buildings.
Patel heard the representations and sought explanations from officials of the concerned departments who were present at the venue.
He instructed officials to ensure that public grievances are addressed within the prescribed time frame and that citizens are not subjected to unnecessary inconvenience during the administrative process.
Several infrastructure-related issues were taken up during the programme. Residents sought completion of a 200-metre stretch of road on the Shankhalpur-Kalari bypass that has remained unfinished because of a canal.
They also demanded reconstruction and widening of the damaged road from Dodiwada-Adivada to Khambhel Chokdi and early completion of the pending Kanoda-Ranela road project.
Other representations included the appointment of a permanent Talati in Ranela Gram Panchayat, construction of a new gram panchayat building, development of a new Akba-Bariyaf road, construction of a new borewell in Saduthala village and restoration of State Transport bus services that have remained suspended for a prolonged period following the construction of the Ratej-Rajpura-Dethli railway underpass.
Speaking at the event, Patel said the programme was intended to ensure that government services reach people in remote areas more effectively and that local issues are resolved at the local level.
"The main objective of this programme is to ensure that administrative services reach the last person with ease and that local issues are resolved at the local level itself. To make this process more transparent and effective, a separate master register will be maintained by the Chitnishs in every taluka, in which all representations will be recorded and followed up," he said.
He added, "The district administration will review these issues every month, and matters falling under the jurisdiction of the state government will be taken up at the higher level to ensure their early resolution."
Alongside the public grievance hearing, beneficiaries also received certificates under various government welfare schemes, including Ayushman Cards, income certificates and caste certificates.
The programme was attended by MLA Sukhaji Thakor, former minister Rajni Patel, District Development Officer Anchu Wilson, local leaders Kamlesh Desai and Devang Pandya, and senior officials from the district and taluka panchayats.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Good to see District Panchayat President Nitin Patel taking proactive steps. The fact that they even handed out Ayushman Cards and certificates on the spot shows they're thinking about comprehensive service delivery. However, I hope this isn't just a one-time photo op for the media. Regular monthly reviews are crucial for sustainability.
Interesting approach to decentralized governance. In many countries, mobile administrative units have proven effective for remote areas. The specific issues raised - roads, water, talati availability - are exactly what villagers struggle with daily. Let's see if this model can be replicated in other districts.
Bahucharaji is a religious site too, so choosing it for the launch was clever - attracts more public attention. But let's be honest, similar 'camp' models have been tried before in Gujarat. The difference this time is the dedicated master register and monthly review mechanism. I hope the bureaucracy doesn't bog it down. 🙏
The unfinished Shankhalpur-Kalari bypass road issue is exactly the kind of problem that gets ignored for years - a canal blocking a 200-metre stretch? That's bureaucratic negligence. Good that it came up in a public hearing. But I wish the article mentioned if any immediate action was taken on it, or if it's just another round of promises.
As someone who's worked in rural development, I appreciate the sentiment behind 'services reaching the last person.' But the proof is in implementation. Will the monthly review actually happen? Will taluka officials be held accountable? The mention of a 'chitnish' maintaining registers sounds like yet another bureaucratic layer
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