Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann hears 61 grievances at first Lok Milni

Ruchika M Khanna

Chandigarh, May 16

Harnek Kaur and her granddaughter-in-law Hardeep Kaur came to Chandigarh on Monday with a hope. Having lost the sole adult male member of their family — Hardeep’s husband — to drug abuse, they, along with other women of Bhal Majra village in Fatehgarh Sahib, had complained to the office of CM Bhagwant Mann to check the sale of drugs in the village.

“Yesterday, we received a call asking us to come and meet the CM,” Harnek Kaur said. Hardeep, along with her son, met the CM at the Punjab Bhawan, where he held his first Lok Milni, an initiative to address the grievances of people. People from across Punjab who had lodged their complaints with the CMO were invited. Officers of all departments were also questioned by the CM on the status of the complaints.

In all, 61 complaints were heard in four hours. On coming to know about the event, a large number of persons also turned up uninvited to meet the CM, but most of them had to go back dejected. However, keeping in mind the urgency of some cases, a few such complainants were also heard out by the CM.

Septuagenarian Baldev Singh of Samana broke down when he realised that he could not meet the CM. Some contractual teachers, who have been demanding regularisation in their services, raised slogans against the government for not hearing them out. AAP officials associated with organising the event said, “The time for the event was limited today… We have asked them (persons who had turned up uninvited) to send their complaints in writing.”