Hyderabad: Former minister T Harish Rao criticized the Congress govt for ignoring public grievances, stating that chief minister Revanth Reddy attended the Prajavani program only once, and that too for just 10 minutes, to accept petitions. This, according to Harish Rao, raised serious concerns about the govt’s commitment to addressing people’s grievances.
Speaking to reporters, Harish pointed out that ministers, who seemingly have plenty of time for meetings at Gandhi Bhavan, fail to attend Prajavani sessions, demonstrating a lack of dedication to public service. “Prajavani is now being run by outsourced staff, with neither the CM nor the ministers directly involved. What was originally promised as a daily program is now held only twice a week. Even then, people often leave disappointed as their petitions are ignored or outright rejected,” he said.
The former minister, who obtained information about Praja Darbar through an RTI request, revealed that as of Dec 9, 2024, Prajavani had received 82,955 petitions. Of these, only 43,272 were categorized as valid grievances, with nearly half dismissed as irrelevant to the program. According to the govt’s definition, valid grievances include complaints of injustice, unfair treatment, or violations of rights, covering issues like denial of benefits under govt schemes, failure to implement policies, and non-provision of services promised under the citizen charter. However, critical concerns such as land disputes, rehabilitation for displaced families, unemployment, and unfulfilled election promises are excluded from this scope.
Harish further highlighted that, of the 43,272 grievances accepted, officials claimed to have resolved 27,215. However, reports from the ground suggest that many issues remain unresolved, with files often closed arbitrarily, without providing real solutions.
He noted that citizens complain that even when their grievances are ignored, the files are marked as ‘closed,’ leaving them feeling unheard and helpless. Many citizens travel to Hyderabad with the hope of finding justice through Prajavani, only to return disillusioned, as their efforts and expenses yield no results. What was intended to be a platform for resolving public grievances has instead become a symbol of neglect and exploitation, Harish added.
