Bhubaneswar: More than 69,000 public grievances remain pending beyond the prescribed disposal timeline on the Jana Sunani portal, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi said in his reply to the assembly on Monday, attributing the delays to the complex and sensitive nature of cases involving land, service matters and corruption.The CM added that the govt has initiated a review of the backlog and proactive steps are being taken to ensure faster and more effective grievance redressal.“Out of 69,532 public grievances pending in the Jana Sunani portal beyond the prescribed disposal timeline, 3,122 are related to land matters, 6,260 are service matters and 211 are corruption complaints,” Majhi stated in his written reply.The Jana Sunani portal is Odisha govt’s official online and integrated grievance redressal system that allows citizens to submit, track and seek resolution of complaints related to public services 24/7.Activist Biswapriya Kanungo said large number of pending grievances reflects poorly on administrative effectiveness. “People will suffer due to the delay in disposal of the grievances. Many people choose the Jana Sunani portal to register their grievances after they do not get justice at local govt offices in offline mode. The democratic system will be weakened if the grievances are not heard on time,” Kanungo said.Pradipta Nayak, a civil society member, said, “People are getting frustrated when they see their public grievances are not being addressed. Govt should take necessary steps to dispose of the grievances.”In his reply, the chief minister said delays occur because many complaints are complex and sensitive, requiring careful examination, comprehensive investigation, adherence to policies, involvement of multiple stakeholders, and consideration of legal and procedural implications.He said authorities are reviewing the pendency to ensure timely disposal and that proactive measures are being taken to minimise delays and expedite resolution of pending grievances.
