After Sarkar Tumchya Dari, Prashasan Tumchya Dari, and Hello Goenkar, it was Janata Darbar taking centerstage among people. Ministers fanned out in both north and south districts to listen to the grievances of people and offer solutions. On paper, all these concepts hold promise because there is a visible attempt to bridge the gap between people and governance.
Moreover, these initiatives are signs of positivity and courage from the government that it is choosing to face issues amid all the scorn heaped from various quarters. From the people's perspective, they get a platform for redressal where voices can be heard and acted upon. It appears to be a win-win situation. But is it working?
On Monday, when the Janata Darbar kicked off at the South Goa Collectorate office, Revenue Minister Atanasio alias Babush Monserrate was confronted with the same issues that were raised at other public interactions in the past. The general public had a problem with GEL's online service system, and they continue to do so even today.
After a patient hearing, Monserrate responded that the issues would have to be addressed to the government, and a solution would be worked out involving the chief minister. He gave a pep talk to the bureaucrats at the meeting on working towards the convenience of common citizens and the need to guide them accordingly.
Now, this is not what people expect, finally. The issues will keep rolling without resolution if there are vague commitments from ministers. People expect time-bound solutions and definite answers on simplifying the system to ease everyday life. Monseratte once again holed out his oft-repeated promise of speeding disposal of Mundkar cases while admitting that the Darbar allowed the government to understand people's issues. Understanding issues is not the end of the story; the resolution is.
In north Goa, PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral appeared to be all charged up and firing on all cylinders issuing directions thick and fast and pulling up engineers with ruthless disdain. He asked PWD staff to act on the Assagao water supply and tackle water logging on the highway within a week.
Unfortunately, Mapusa continued to grapple with a water shortage, and the area had no supply for three days on the trot, and the minister's Darbar made no difference.
The public outreaches are acceptable, provided they yield results. The ministers are welcome to hear grievances, but there have to be solutions somewhere on the horizon. The entire process can backfire if the government is only interested in hearing.
So, let there be some checklist on delivery; otherwise, this will go nowhere. The government has to maintain a record of the issues it can address through this medium. Educate ministers to avoid arrogance and over-inflated egos when faced with stubborn problems. And also educate ministers that activists cannot be debarred from darbars because they constitute part of the general public. Whatever the level of engagement is, the welfare of everyday citizens should be at the top of the mind of every minister. All these outreaches will be exercises in futility if delivery and accountability are missing.
