DM Conference one sided: Collectors

     Raipur, March 13, 2010: Several District Magistrates today said the Collectors’ Conference was a one sided affair and they were invited to the Raipur only to listen to the top bureaucrats and the Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh.

     “We had come prepared to give feedback to the Government on some of the important issues but were disappointed,” a District Collector told ChhattisgarhTopNews.Com here today.

     After the over of the District Collectors’ Conference several DMs said the Government had asked them to come with details on couple of issues and also there were issues on which they wanted to discuss or give feedback but that never happened and except Collector Bilaspur Sonmani Borah hardly any one got chance to speak.

     It was different that the Chief Minister said in the meeting that Chief Secretary P Joy Oommen would interact with the Collectors and later on he would collect the details from the top most bureaucrat, but talking to the Chief Minister or in his presence any discussion had an altogether different meaning, many opined.

      But the field officers appreciated the stand of the Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh on the naxal issue.

     “The Chief Minister is very clear in his stand on naxal. Despite on the hit list of the Maoists, Singh said he would be touring the state during the Gram Suraj programme and said he could expect others to do the same, which is highly appreciated,” one of the District Collectors said.

     It was decided today to have the Gram Suraj Abhiyan in two parts from April 12 to 16 and again from April 16 to 23.

     Development of the villages are essential and the problems of the rural sector need to be resolved on priority basis, the Chief Minister told the Collectors at the new Circuit House here in the presence of Chief Secretary P Joy Oommen, his Principal Secretary N Baijendra Kumar, Secretary Aman Singh, Joint Secretary Subodh Singh, Principal Secretary Agriculture D S Mishra and a host of senior officials.

    This time the Gram Suraj would be focused mainly on two issues Agriculture and Health, he said.

     An expert on the Maoist issue, D M Mitra also gave a presentation on the naxalites in the Conference.