Sambalpur: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi will arrive in Odisha’s Sambalpur on Sunday and conduct a grievance hearing session, the first outside the state capital, the following morning.
“The CM is expected to hear grievances of over 1000 people at the Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC) office. Other ministers and secretaries will also be present. Security arrangements are being made as per the standard protocol,” Sambalpur SP Mukesh Kumar Bhamoo told a presser.
The grievance cell is scheduled to begin at 8 am.
The SP informed that 18 platoons of forces will be deployed to manage the crowd at the SMC office and the VIP movement. “Volunteers will also be engaged to help people in view of the heat wave conditions,” he said.
Parking arrangements have been made near the venue for people, who would travel to the city from Bargarh, Jharsuguda and Sonepur, he added.
A total of 11 ministers, including Deputy CM K V Singhdeo, are expected to attend the grievance hearing session, which will cater to residents from 10 western Odisha districts — Sambalpur, Deogarh, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Balangir, Boudh, Kalahandi, Nuapada and Sonepur. “The initiative will greatly ease the hassle of traveling to Bhubaneswar for resolving grievances,” Panchayati Raj and Water Resources Minister Rabi Narayan Naik had earlier told the media.
While1,000 grievances have been registered online and offline, an additional 300-400 walk-in complainants expected and on-spot registration will be available under tented areas fitted with coolers. The SMC commissioner, Vedbhusan, said that comprehensive arrangements have been made for the event, including special facilities for differently-abled persons (wheelchairs, sign language interpreters and assistance for the visually impaired), water points and ORS stations and refreshments provided by NGOs.
Notably, Majhi had revived the public grievance hearing, discontinued since 2008, at his official residence at Unit-V from July 1, 2024.
