State’s Cong govt flayed at grievance redressal meeting

Representatives of the Panchayati Raj Institutions criticised the Congress government during the District Grievance Redressal Committee meeting held here today. The meeting, chaired by Health and Family Welfare Minister Dhani Ram Shandil, witnessed heated discussions on various pending issues, particularly the construction of a Primary Health Centre (PHC) at Nauni.

Former pradhan and non-official member Baldev Thakur raised concerns over the lack of coordination between departments regarding the PHC. He pointed out that despite assurances in previous meetings, no progress had been made. According to the Health Department, the file was awaiting approval from the directorate, while the Tehsildar of Solan claimed that the land had already been transferred. Frustrated by the delay, Thakur demanded that the minister should lay the foundation stone without further postponement, even if departmental approval was pending.

The Health Minister also expressed his displeasure over the slow progress in granting ownership rights to Chakouta holders. Non-government member Shivdatt Thakur highlighted that despite encouragement from revenue staff, applicants’ files often went missing due to bureaucratic inefficiency. He proposed hiring retired Patwaris and Kanungos to expedite the process. Currently, 157 cases are pending in Solan, 52 in Kandaghat, 650 in Nalagarh, and 57 in Kasauli. DC Solan Manmohan Sharma explained that delays were compounded by applicants seeking corrections in revenue records.

Another issue discussed was the jurisdiction of the Patwar Circle of Gram Panchayat Kot. Nityanand Sharma raised concerns over its placement under sub-tehsil Mamlig. The District Revenue Officer informed that a proposal to shift it to Kandaghat tehsil had been rejected by the government.

The meeting also addressed the backlog of demarcation and partition cases in Nalagarh tehsil. Non-government member Tekchand Chandel noted that the issue had been raised in previous meetings but remained unresolved. SDM Nalagarh Rajkumar attributed the delay to a shortage of Kanungos, as Patwaris do not serve long enough to be promoted. He suggested hiring retired Kanungos to expedite the work. The meeting ended with several unresolved issues, leaving representatives frustrated over the government’s inaction.