The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Official apathy at local level drives them to Bangalore

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Oct 20, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Official apathy at local level drives them to Bangalore

Special Correspondent

Most of the people are not aware whom to approach when confronted by problems

Bangalore: Suresh Babu, a 21-year-old Dalit and arts graduate of Bangarpet in Kolar district is afflicted by polio.

Chandrappa, a labourer, carries his son on his back to various offices seeking a job for him.

His wife remains at home as she has to take care of her son.

His two daughters are studying.

Officers at the taluk level were not all that responsive to his pleas.

Later, the father and son represented before the then Chief Minister, H.D. Kumaraswamy.

Loan

He instructed the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Development Corporation to provide him a loan for setting up a shop at Kanvekal, his native village. The bank, which was asked to provide the loan, gave Rs.10,000 as subsidy and asked him to start work on the shop and approach it for rest of the loan.

But, the need for it did not arise at all, as he could not start work.

Puttalakshmamma, wife of a head constable from Mandya, wanted to petition the Governor, as the higher-ups in the town failed to act on her plea.

She had complained that her husband, Shivakempaiah, had abandoned her.

Had she got justice there, she would not have come all the way here and died.

Revanna, a labourer from Hosakere village in Maddur taluk, had applied for grant of inam land, 35 years ago.

Dispute

Two others, who were government servants, had also applied for it and the dispute was pending before the Special Land Acquisition Officer.

The proceedings had not been resumed since more than three years, as no officer had been posted there.

Mr. Revanna said that there would have been no occasion for him to come to Bangalore, had the government been sensitive to the problems of the people.

Seer’s plea

Sharana Basava Swamiji, head of a math for Bhovis (Scheduled Caste) in Bagalkot in saffron robes represented before the Governor for directing the district administration not to charge high rate for the land granted to the math, in lieu of the one acquired by the State government.

He complained that the coalition government of the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)had not acted on his application.

H.R. Mohan Kumar of Halepalya village in Tiptur taluk, who brought his three-year old Ranganath, a mentally challenged boy, said that she had spent thousands of rupees for his treatment.

The Tiptur MLA, B. Nanjamari did not help him, even though he visited his residence five times.

On why did he not approach the tahsildar or the Assistant Commissioner, he said he did not know all that.

Ravindra Reddy of Madhugiri taluk, whose one kidney has been removed because of organ failure, also does not know that revenue officers in his area will be of help under such circumstances and that he need not come to the State capital.

Awareness

Mohan Kumar, a graduate, who accompanied him added that the government should provide such information which was useful to the people at important places at district, taluk and hobli headquarters.

It should also educate the people through newspapers and television about the officials, their addresses and telephone numbers so that people could approach them.

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