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RTI activist seeks steps to activate grievances cell

BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister's grievances cell is said to have stopped functioning since 2008, while the number of grievances being reported in it has drastically come down over the years. Information received in exercise of RTI Act has revealed that there has not been a single hearing of this grievances cell since September 2008.

“A cursory glance at the above said period indicates that the cell hardly functioned during the four-year period between 2004 and 2007 as only one meeting was held in 2006 while two meetings were held for the whole year in 2004,” says Biswajit Mohanty, the RTI applicant who is also a board member, Transparency International India.

Mr. Mohanty said, “while 12,034 aggrieved people approached the cell during 2000, the number has sharply fallen to 408 in 2008 though the same number of meetings (12) were held in both years. It is indeed surprising that the number of complaints dropped sharply by 96 per cent during a period of eight years.”

Suffer in silence

The RTI activist blamed lack of knowledge about functioning of the Chief Minister's grievances cell and its dates of meetings as a result of which they could not attend the meet.

“Owing to the non-functioning of this cell since September, 2008, thousands of the oppressed and affected persons of the State are forced to suffer in silence since they cannot think of any other high-level avenue to ventilate their just claims and grievances,” says Mr. Mohanty.

He suggested to the government to activate the cell and hold grievances meetings regularly every month with the date fixed well in advance and with sufficient publicity preceding the event.

Besides, district-level grievances cells should be made functional.

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RTI activist seeks steps to activate grievances cell

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