Officials, public representatives must work together for district's development: Minister

Chittoor: District in-charge Minister Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy said that coordinated efforts by officials and public representatives are essential to ensure the overall development of Chittoor district.

He was speaking at the District Review Committee (DRC) meeting held at the Collectorate on Monday. District Collector Sumit Kumar, MLAs K Murali Mohan and Jagan Mohan, Joint Collector Adarsh Rajendran, Additional SP Rajashekar Raju and several officials and public representatives attended the meeting.

The Minister said the government is committed to providing good governance and resolving public issues through regular reviews. He noted that the SC Welfare Hostel in Puthalapattu currently offers education only up to Class 10. As students have been achieving good results, the government has agreed in principle to introduce Intermediate courses.

He also raised concerns about the BC Girls’ Hostel in Bangarupalem, which is operating in an old rented building that is in poor condition. He directed officials to take steps to construct a permanent building for the 74 girls studying there.

During the meeting, Minister Ramprasad Reddy said that nearly 70 to 80 per cent of public complaints in the district are related to revenue issues, particularly freehold and DKT land matters. He stated that many farmers are facing problems due to the lack of clarity on the freehold policy despite large areas being converted earlier. Officials were also instructed to prepare plans to prevent drinking water shortages during the summer.

Collector Sumit Kumar said around 20,000 complaints had been received through the public grievance system and that special village meetings were being held to resolve revenue-related issues. Reports had been submitted to the government seeking the sanction of about Rs 5 crore to provide basic infrastructure in various welfare hostels in the district.

Puthalapattu MLA K Murali Mohan said the meeting also discussed irregularities in ration shops. He stated that there were cases where ration shops were being run unofficially by others instead of the authorised dealers and there were instances where individuals who pay income tax have been operating ration shops.

Chittoor MLA Jagan Mohan said that proper street lighting should be provided on the National Highway passing through Chittoor municipality, especially during night hours.

He also stressed the need to provide quality medical services in government hospitals. He said that patients visiting government hospitals should be supplied with medicines free of cost on a continuous basis.