The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Chief Minister's Cell, a last resort for grievance redressal seekers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 07, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Chief Minister's Cell, a last resort for grievance redressal seekers

R.K. Radhakrishnan

From pleas for money for surgery to jobs, the cell handles it all

CHENNAI: Every day, at least a hundred people turn up at the Secretariat looking for help. Ten times the number send in their grievances by post to the Chief Minister's Cell.

"Often, this is their last resort. This is kind of a last appeal they make before they give up all hope," says an official assigned to handle grievances.

Often, the need of those who approach the Chief Minister's Cell far outmatches the capability of the government machinery to cater to that need. That is when special provisions are made: in fact, more often than not.

About a month ago, a woman approached the cell with a request for money for her child's treatment. The girl had a combination of cancers, which did not find mention in the list of `approved' diseases/disorders. Convinced that this was a genuine case, the officer in charge wrote to the Chief Minister's Office that this case be treated as a special one. It was and the woman was granted the money to treat her child. The money comes from the Tamil Nadu State Illness Society Fund, created for the purpose of catering to the need of those with no source of income to afford expensive treatment.

Between April 1, 2006 and the end of February this year the Society gave Rs.5.53 crore to 2176 people in dire need. Of this, 1947 persons needed heart surgeries; 181 kidney transplants; 23 cancer surgeries; 7 spinal cord surgeries and 7 skull opening surgeries.

However, there is one class that the cell is not able to cater for: the job seekers. A few months ago, an M.Phil graduate landed up at the cell. He and his mother had travelled ticketless on a train to Chennai hoping for some relief. He left his mother at the Chennai Central station and made his way to the CM's Cell. "Give me any job. I will sweep the Secretariat if you will pay me," he told the officer in charge. He was counselled on the various self-employment options available and asked to meet the Collector of his district. The CM's cell would speak to the district officials and the job seeker would be able to meet the officials, he was assured.

Then came the next problem: he had no money to go back. "In such really genuine and poor cases, we seek the support of the transport corporation. They help us by giving some coupons for travel in these cases," the official said.

It is not merely the sick that approach the CM's cell. Between April 1, 2006 and end-February, 105 poor students were given financial aid amounting to Rs.26 lakh. Of this, 90 were engineering students and 15, students of medicine.

In all, up to February-end, the CM's cell received 3.42 lakh petitions. Of this, the cell processed about 60 per cent, 2.05 lakh. From the time that the present government took charge to February-end, the Cell received 5,601 petitions from Ministers/ MPs/MLAs. Of this, 3,15 have been disposed of. "We need about a month to give a proper reply. Once we get a petition, it is entered into our computerised records and sent to the relevant department or the district. We wait for their replies. The cell has introduced web-based reply system by which all the replies could be sent online. As of February-end, we have received over 75,000 replies online," says the official.

Strange calls

There are also some strange calls that the cell receives: one Ambattur resident called to say that there were five snakes in his home. Will the Chief Minister help? The Officer in charge says that he called the forest and fire department to help out. He received another call a few hours later: "thanks for sending those people. They managed to catch only one snake. But thanks all the same."

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