CM launches 'Parae Samadhan' drive to execute elementary works at grassroots
Bolpur: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday announced 'Parae Samadhan' — a local neighbourhood grievance redressal drive to execute much-needed elementary works at the grassroots level.
The drive is the first-of-its-kind in the country in which the state government will reach out to people at their doorsteps to address local issues as per their requirement to meet the "minor infrastructure or service gaps". However, it is not meant for taking up major infrastructure development projects.
This comes as a "subsidiary" step after the immense success of the country's biggest outreach event, Duare Sarkar, that has witnessed 1.5 crore footfall in 13,714 camps across the state in just one month.
Following the Chief Minister's direction during the administrative review meeting of Birbhum district, Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay said: "Parae Samdhan drive will begin on December 2 targeting execution of elementary works by reaching to the masses at the grassroots level. It will continue for one-and-a-half-months till February 15. There will be a separate task force for the same."
Under "Parae Samadhan" drive, camps will be set up at every locality where people can approach concerned officers to apply for essential elementary works in their area. The requests will be immediately updated online and work will begin by mid-February in those shortlisted. An advertisement will be published soon to make people aware of the drive taken up by the state government.
"People can easily approach for works like construction of a small culvert, an additional classroom in the local school, repairing of anganwadi centres, requirement of a public toilet in a locality or minor water supply related issues at these camps. It will be addressed immediately," Banerjee said.
The CM's Office has already received 10,000 applications seeking execution of such minor projects. Out of 1.5 crore people, who visited Duare Sarkar camps, 97 lakh had visited with queries related to Swasthya Sathi scheme and 57 lakh had applied to reap its benefit. Till date, 38.5 lakh applications have been approved and 8.11 lakh applicants have received Swasthya Sathi cards. Similarly, 10 lakh had applied for Khadya Sathi and 3.5 lakh have already been enrolled under the scheme. Banerjee directed the concerned officer to expedite the process to help more people get the benefits.
Banerjee has expressed her annoyance over delay in giving caste certificates as around 16 lakh people had applied for it through Duare Sarkar camps and only around 2 lakh applicants have been provided with the same so far. She urged Principal Secretary of Backward Class Welfare department A Subbiah to do the needful in this regard. She also pulled up Vijay Bharti, District Magistrate of Birbhum, as only 4,000 out of 28,000 applicants have received the same.
With allowing self-attestation to avail Krishak Bandhu scheme, as many as 11,319 out of 11,433 applicants have already been enrolled under the scheme through Duare Sarkar camps with a success rate of 99.90 per cent.
Banerjee also took stock of the Matir Tirtha project under which already 10 lakh saplings have been planted on 6,772 acres of fallow land at 1,500 sites. She also directed PB Salim, Chairman and Managing Director of West Bengal Power Development Corporation, to submit the survey report of Deocha Pachami coal block as the work will be undertaken without any eviction and from the areas that are at present lying unoccupied. "One lakh jobs will be created which will solve the problem of unemployment," Banerjee said referring to the Deocha Pachami coal block work.
Banerjee also increased the ceiling of vetting of any project by the Zilla Parishad to Rs 1 crore from Rs 45 lakh. She also handed over a job appointment letter to the wife of martyr Rajesh Orang. The state government had earlier provided Rs 5 lakh financial assistance to the family. She also inaugurated Khadya Bhavan at Suri, Purulia, Darjeeling, Krishnagar and seven projects of WBSEDCL.
She also inaugurated Harichand Guruchand Thakur Krirangan at Nadia's Tehatta and unveiled the logo of the upcoming Biswa Bangla University in Birbhum.
