In response to growing public resentment, the Haryana government, led by Chief Minister Nayab Saini, has prioritized quick resolution of public grievances in the run-up to the Assembly election slated for later this year. This move follows the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) dismal performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections, where it lost five out of 10 seats in the State to the Congress, with its vote share dipping significantly.
The BJP’s poor showing has been partly attributed to widespread dissatisfaction with the e-initiatives introduced by former Chief Minister Manohar Lal. These initiatives, including the ‘Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP)’ and ‘Meri Fasal Mera Byora’, aimed to achieve the State government’s vision of ‘paperless’ service delivery. However, they have been plagued by large-scale discrepancies in user details, causing inconvenience to the public.
The Opposition has seized on this public ire, with Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda vowing to scrap the PPP and ‘Meri Fasal Mera Byora’ if voted to power. Hooda has termed the State government as ‘Portals Ki Sarkar’, mocking its reliance on e-governance.
While former Chief Minister Lal has defended the e-initiatives as steps towards curbing corruption and ensuring doorstep delivery of services, BJP leaders and workers acknowledge that poor implementation may have contributed to the party’s setback in the Lok Sabha polls. A BJP worker in the Gurgaon Lok Sabha constituency noted that people were unhappy with the lack of civic amenities and frequent power outages, and demanded the scrapping of PPP during the election campaign.
In response to the public outcry, the Haryana government has announced the launch of ‘Samadhan Shivirs (Resolution Camps)’ every working day from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the district and subdivision levels. These camps aim to provide a platform for people to seek redressal for their grievances related to various issues, including Property ID, PPP, land registration, social welfare pensions, ration cards, crime, power, irrigation, and public health.
A ‘Samadhan Parkosth (Resolution Cell)’ has also been set up at the Chief Secretary’s office in Chandigarh to monitor the progress of the ‘Samadhan Shivirs’. Officials are required to submit daily reports on the complaints received and resolved. The resolution cell will focus on policy-related issues, while the camps will address administrative hurdles.
The Chief Secretary’s office reports a positive response to the grievance resolution program, with 1,362 complaints resolved out of the 4,802 received so far. Gurgaon Additional Deputy Commissioner Hitesh Meena stated that most complaints received at the daily district camps pertain to PPP and Property IDs. Concerned departments have been given a timeframe of 24 hours to seven days to resolve these complaints, and special camps will be organized across the State for people to air their grievances regarding PPP.
Reacting to the government’s initiative, Congress leader Hooda has called it an ‘admission of failure’ and criticized the BJP for its delayed response after being in power for ten years. Hooda has described PPP as ‘Permanent Pareshani Patra’, highlighting its persistent problems, and has expressed similar concerns about other e-initiatives that have malfunctioned, adding to the people’s woes.
