Kotpad, Sept 17 [UDN}: A district-level joint public grievance hearing was held at the conference hall of the Kotpad Panchayat Samiti office in Koraput district under the chairmanship of Koraput Collector Manoj Satyavan Mahajan.
A total of 64 complaints were registered during the hearing. Of these, 11 were collective or community-related grievances, while 53 concerned individual problems. Officials resolved nine complaints on the spot, providing immediate relief to the concerned complainants.
After hearing the remaining grievances, Collector Mahajan directed the concerned departmental officials to take necessary action in accordance with the rules and ensure regular monitoring and review of the progress. He stressed that complaints received through the public hearing mechanism should not remain pending for prolonged periods and that officials must ensure timely disposal.
Poor Road Conditions Among Major Complaints
A large number of complaints at the hearing related to the poor condition of roads in different rural areas of Kotpad block. Residents and social workers highlighted the deteriorating condition of several important connecting roads, which have developed numerous potholes and have made transportation difficult.
Among the roads mentioned were the stretch from the National Highway near Surli in Chandili Panchayat towards border-side Bikrampur, the Kotpad–Basuli–Gumunda–Chimaghata route, the Harduli–Nehurapali road, and the Kotpad–Guliguda–Narahandi–Pachia–Shankarda route. Complaints were also raised regarding roads connecting Murvahandi through Bandhguda to Khoslakodak and Bastaamba to Khadgpur.
According to the complainants, the damaged roads have severely affected daily transportation and have also increased the risk of accidents. Social workers from Sargiguda and Ghumar Panchayats demanded immediate repair of the affected roads, citing frequent minor and major accidents.
Demand for Paddy Procurement Centre
Farmers also raised concerns over the absence of adequate procurement facilities. A demand was made for the immediate opening of a paddy procurement centre (mandi) at Sargiguda, which would help local farmers sell their produce conveniently and reduce the difficulties involved in transporting paddy to distant procurement centres.
Emphasis on Timely Disposal of Complaints
Local intellectuals and residents also expressed concern that, despite grievances being submitted repeatedly during public hearings, some issues allegedly remain pending for long periods because of negligence or lack of follow-up by certain officials and employees.
They suggested that the district administration should conduct an internal review of long-pending grievances and identify cases that have remained unresolved due to administrative lapses. According to them, ensuring permanent solutions to such long-standing problems would strengthen public confidence in the grievance-redressal system and provide genuine relief to citizens.
The administration’s direction for regular monitoring of complaints is therefore expected to put greater accountability on the concerned departments and ensure that grievances raised by people do not remain confined to files.
Senior Officials Attend
The programme was attended by Koraput SP Rohit Verma, Chief Development Officer-cum-Executive Officer of the Zilla Parishad Benudhar Sabar, Sub-Collector Jadumani Naik, Divisional Forest Officer Rajesh Patel, Chief District Medical and Public Health Officer Dr. Rabindranath Dash, and Kotpad NAC Chairman M. Shankar Rao.
District-level officers from various departments and administrative officers undergoing training were also present at the grievance hearing. Their presence enabled complainants to place issues directly before the concerned authorities and facilitated coordination among departments for resolving the grievances.
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