As the gates of Jyotirao Phule Praja Bhavan (earlier Pragati Bhavan) in Hyderabad opened to the people on Friday morning, a day after the Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy assumed charge, the Begumpet area reminded the era of the late Y.S. Rajashekhar Reddy when people from across the state landed there to meet the Chief Minister personally with their grievances.
People waiting in serpentine queues trying to enter the Praja Bhavan were in contrast to the closed doors of the Pragati Bhavan where scores of intimidating policemen used to stay guard to prevent people, even standing on the road. As many explained the once impenetrable fortress now gives a feel of freedom, people felt a new beginning to the governance under the Congress government as the once closed imposing gates are now welcoming them.
Standing in queues with representations and lots of hope, several people admitted that meeting the Chief Minister or the officials was something they badly missed during the earlier rule. Each individual has a story to tell and their grievances ranged from land issues to complaints against the uncooperative officials and jobs denied to lack of houses.
The trend of Praja Darbar started with the late Y.S. Rajashekhar Reddy, former Chief Minister of erstwhile United Andhra Pradesh, who built the first camp office and residence of the Chief Minister at this place after he came to power in 2004. He would meet officials and people from 6 am to 9 am almost every day with the visitors segregated into three to four layers. The first meeting with people was always reserved for those coming from his constituency and Kadapa district.
Later, he would meet general public from all spheres of life and take their representations giving instructions to the officials immediately. Even MLAs and other Congress leaders would get an opportunity every day to discuss issues related to their constituencies. This carried on till he met with that tragic accident on September 2, 2009.
K. Rosaiah, who succeeded him, too continued the practice though the numbers dwindled as he was not a public man as popular as YSR. After Kiran Kumar Reddy took over as the Chief Minister, the Praja Darbar had to be stopped with the Telangana agitation peaking and police putting restrictions on gatherings at the CM camp office, as it was known earlier.
After the formation of Telangana state, the camp office-cum-residence of the Chief Minister made its way to Pragati Bhavan with an extended land behind used to construct imposing buildings. K. Chandrashekhar Rao, former Chief Minister of Telangana, also acquired part of the IAS Officers Club and some other Government buildings for the construction of Pragati Bhavan but it was always out of bounds for the people.
There were allegations that even the Ministers and MLAs were not welcomed unless they had a prior appointment with the Chief Minister’s Office. There were reports of Ministers convoys stopped at the main road itself by the police personnel who insisted on a phone call from the office inside if they had to be let in.
However, even as the new Chief Minister was taking oath on Thursday afternoon, officials razed to the ground the iron grills in the immediate periphery of Pragati Bhavan in a symbolic gesture of demolishing the wall between people and the Chief Minister. In his first address as the Chief Minister, Mr. Revanth Reddy said the Prajar Darbar would be held on Friday and people can just walk in witheir
On Friday, the darbar was held in the Praja Bhavan. Rows of seats are arranged in a hall. A flexi which read ‘Praja Darbar by Revanth Reddy’ welcomed people. During his speech immediately after taking oath as Chief Minister on Thursday, Mr. Revanth announced the darbar at 10.00 a.m. today and said the doors of the complex are open to people. As per the announcement, he received grievances from people.
