Dhumal asks ministers to be available for public

Shimla, Jan 31 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today asked his ministers to be available to the general public in the state headquarters at least for four days in a week.

Since people come to meet the ministers, they should be present from Tuesday to Friday as a matter of routine, he told reporters here.

Mr Dhumal said he had also asked the ministers to meet as many people as possible during their visits to different districts and solve their problems, so that the people do not have to waste time and money in coming to Shimla for little administrative works.

Reiterating his government's resolve to extend maximum benefit to the public, he said he was always accessible to people wherever he was.

''Whether it is my residence or the secretariat or anywhere in town, I am available to the public and want my cabinet also to follow the same,'' he added.

''The deputy commissioners and district police chiefs have also been asked not to be worry about receiving me on the boundaries or coming to see me off, whenever I visit their districts,'' he said.

The DCs and SPs should concentrate more on their work, he stressed.

Mr Dhumal has also asked his secretariat to have limited number of vehicles in the cavalcade when he moves out to different parts of the state.

''I have told my staff that only essential vehicles should be there in my cavalcade,'' he said.

Replying to a question, he said he would not review decisions of the previous government unnecessarily, but was concerned about the delay in execution of the hydel projects on one pretext or the other which was hurting the state's interest.

The chief minister said he would meet the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission in the second week of February to finalize the plan outlay for the year 2008-09.

UNI XC AS JN VN2022