MILLING CROWDS AND A NEW DISPENSATION

Having a praja darbar is good. It shows a connection between the praja and the darbar. Ideally it should be conducted mid-rule and in India's case after two years and six months. To get a feel, the pulse of the public. And do the needful at that time. I am talking of Utopia of course. 

The praja darbars should be held in all the districts and the local Collector and the local MLA should handle the cases concerning their own districts. They are more familiar with the ground realities and the problems faced by the denizens. 

That is provided the Collector of the said district is interested in solving problems rather than currying favour from the powers that be. Since these are new districts there are young collectors and if only they knew how much can be done, given their posting and the power that goes with it. Though a sweeping statement, the crowds of complainants is making me reflect. 

Why would a person from the district come to Hyderabad to submit a complaint to the Chief Minister directly? 

I see a few reasons: Could be because the local leader wants to show his muscle and crowd collecting power and has conveyed to the local people that he would take them to the CM directly. 

Second reason could be that most of the problems seem to be land related and with the Dharani portal being all confusing (In my case we are being cheated of land right from under our nose), and much of land being grabbed by powerful persons (the Mallareddy case comes to mind), the poor soul in a small back-of-beyond village thinks only the CM can now solve his problem. 

Thirdly and flippant though it may sound, the crowds have got a new found freedom in this new Congress regime and they are giving a long shot to their problem along with a small break to the hitherto closed gates of Pragathi Bhavan. 

If I were the CM, I would not take any of the complaints. I would haul the Collectors of these districts and asked them to sort the issue. And I would conduct it district wise. If at all. 

Because it is not the CM 's job to solve the everyday problems of people. There is a system and it has worked (that is tongue-in-cheek) well for so many years. In fact it is the CM's job to strengthen the system at the grassroot level. Have the ear of the Collector and speak with him, once a week. Strengthen the powers of the Sarpanch, the local Panchayat (they seem to get together only when there is an upper caste/lower caste marriage), the Zilla Parishad (the chairmen announce their position is loud letters in huge cars). These are representatives of the government, they are supposed to stand-in for the government. 

And I am not even talking of Municipal Corporations because, that you see is an urban problem where the middle class lives in its apartments, glad that a plumber is on call. Let the rural issues be sorted and we will come to the non-voting population (majority of them do not vote). 

What is with this tamasha of people milling to meet the CM Or the Deputy CM? Even as Hyderabad celebrated the removing of the barricades, they are now faced with this new human barricade. There seems to be some kind of queue system but seriously to submit a complaint? Which really should have been dealt with at the village level? 

And out of curiosity I ask if we are all getting used to crowds and queues? Though the line system hardly works unless it is under the control of the police. Do people really have this kind of time? Especially a farmer, a daily wage earner, a school teacher? The statement that they do it for a quarter and a biriyani is not convincing enough. 

This anguish comes from a certain frustration. Which if led carefully can turn into a revolution. Our ex-CM K Chandrasekhar Rao did it for Telangana. And before him Dr YS Rajasekhar Reddy had led the people as one, trouncing the then CM Chandrababu Naidu. 

It is too early days.... Will wait and watch. 

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