Within one year, “With People” resolved 210 complaints in the district

Under the ‘With People’ (Janangalod Oppam) project, the Idukki district administration has addressed more than 210 complaints in one year. Envisioned by Idukki Sub-Collector Anoop Garg, the initiative was launched on June 12, 2025, to bring the administration closer to the public. The programme seeks to make government services more accessible by taking the administration directly to village offices, enabling citizens to interact with officials without travelling long distances to district or taluk headquarters.

Through the project, the Sub-Collector visits a village office and functions from there for the entire day. During these visits, public grievances are received directly, the functioning of the village office is reviewed, and coordination is undertaken with various departments to resolve issues on the spot whenever possible.

“Within one year, a total of 326 complaints were received through the ‘With People’ project, and 210 have been disposed of,” the Sub-Collector said. “Active follow-ups are continuing for the remaining complaints. Every single petition received under the programme is digitally recorded and tracked. Time-bound action is assigned to the concerned departments, and regular follow-up is carried out by the Sub-Collectorate. Cases that cannot be resolved due to legal constraints, court orders, or policy limitations are communicated to the petitioners through detailed replies explaining the reasons,” said Mr Garg.

Major complaints

According to officials, the major complaints received from the public involve pending survey applications, resurvey-related land extent disputes, patta and land assignment matters, land conversion (taramattam) applications, mutation and land tax issues, house numbering, tree-cutting permissions, boundary disputes, encroachments, illegal mining, and delays in departmental approvals.

Since its launch, the programme has covered more than ten villages across the district, including Kokkayar, Peruvanthanam, Peerumade, Manjumala, Thankamani, Kattappana, and Vannappuram. The initiative has reached villages across the Peerumade, Idukki, and Thodupuzha taluks. Although temporarily paused during the Model Code of Conduct period for election-related duties, the programme has since resumed and continues to expand to more villages.