Massive turnout for first Praja Darbar

Massive turnout for first Praja Darbar

A serpentine queue leading to the Jyotirao Phule Praja Bhavan turned into a huge crowd on Friday morning as a large number of people from across Telangana reached the complex in Hyderabad to make their grievances heard.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy held the darbar immediately after the day he took oath.

Praja Bhavan, the Chief Minister’s Camp Office, opened for the first time for public after several years. People were seen taking selfies and posing next to the tall walls, which they have only seen in news channels until now.

Provisions were made for Praja Darbar on the right side of the main premises with stalls labeled ‘CM Praja Darbar Help Desk’. A stall with medical staff having basic medicines and drugs was also set up.

However, lack of information about timings, limit on the number of people to be allowed and the next darbar session left most people disappointed. The people who gathered at the entrance, with most of them travelling from faraway districts, demanded the police to allow them inside to register their complaints.

Venkatesh, a resident of Rajanna Sircilla district, arrived in the city on Thursday night. “My Pattadar passbook number is not reflecting on the Dharani portal. I have met many officials for this for the last eight months but in vain. Now, we are told that they left and we should go back,” he said.

Janaki Devi, a woman from Yousufguda, complained that she has not received her Aasara pension since 2013. “I got late because of an LPG gas delivery mix up and looks like they have already wrapped it all up and left. A clarity on timings of the Praja Darbar will be helpful. Also, heavy traffic around S.D. Road to this place made it worse. I wrote to many officials about the pension, but in vain. I have no ration card and have not received pension since my husband’s death. I will come to the next darbar session, whenever that is,” she said.