Centre to enact separate law for redressal of public grievances

Kolkata, Jan 9 (UNI) The Centre is actively considering to enact a separate law soon to deal with increasing public grievances in government departments and various public sector units.

This was announced here today by Dr E M Sudarsana Natchiappan, MP and Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice while speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of a meeting with Chairmen and Managing Directors and other senior officials of the United Bank of India(UBI)and UCO Bank on the formulation of a self-mechanism for quick redressal of public grievances in PSUs and government undertakings.

Referring to the growing concern of the Union government over a steady increase in the number of public grievances in public sector units despite the presence of Ombudsmen, Mr Natchaippan said a separate all party parliamentary committee had been formed under his Chairmanship to make necessary recommendations for enacting a suitable law in the coming session of Parliament without having any discretion on the role of Ombudsmen.

''We have already visited a number of places including Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore and talked to the CEOs of a number of PSUs in Financial, steel and oil sectors, besides urging them to re-activate their own public grievances cell in a more useful manner and provide useful suggestions for the enactment of a new Law in parliament, Dr Natchiappan informed.

''Under the process, we want to make the overall public grievances redressal mechanism in the country ''more vibrant, more humane, more dynamic and more passionate'' in every sense of the term,'' he said.

Asked about the progress in dealing with the country's collectoral reforms in political processes, Dr Natchapann, a Congress MP from Tamil Nadu, said the 31-member Parliamentary Committee had already written two letters to all the national, regional and registered political parties seeking their ''valuable sugestions'' on whether to do away with the Election Commission's recommendation for disallowing those Indian citizens, facing criminal charges or imprisonment of five years or more, from executing their voting rights permanently.

''Unfortunaly, despite several reminders only the CPI-M and the CPI had replied to my letters so far'', the Parliamentary Committee Chairman said adding that he was, however, still trying to get the response from others, including his own party, the BJP and the All India Trinamool Congress, DMK and the AIADMK.

''We are expecting to submit our report to the House by next month so that effective steps could be taken before the Assembly elections in four states,'' Mr Natchiappan said and hoped that a suitable legislation could also be passed in the next session of Parliament.

Regarding his plans for judicial reforms, he said the Committee might look into the possibility of enforcing ensuring greater accountability of judges and strengthening the financial structures of the entire legal system as well as the courts.

Of the 31 member high powered committee, nine senior members, including noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani (Independent), Mr Salilendra Kumar of Samajwadi Party, Mr Tariq Anqar of MCP and Mr Sunil Mahato of Jharkhand Party took part in today's deliberations.

UNI