City may implement dy CMs pet project
Dispute-Free Village Scheme Could Help Mumbaikars Keep Cops Out Of Petty Problems ……….Sanjeev Shivadekar I TNN
Mumbai: Buoyed by the success of Mahatma Gandhi Tanta Mukta Gaon Mohin (disputefree villages), the state is contemplating implementation of the scheme in urban areas. The scheme has seen more than 2,300 villages being declared dispute-free since August 15, 2007, when it was launched.
Under the scheme, minor disputes are settled by specially appointed panels after taking into account the version and consent of the parties involved.
The brain behind the scheme, deputy CM R R Patil said, I have got several requests from citizens to start this scheme in cities like Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Thane and Nagpur. We are checking if the scheme can actually be implemented in urban areas as the local police need not get involved in minor disputes like row over parking.
Local policemen get needlessly involved in minor disputes, and such cases drag on till they meet their logical conclusion in court. The scheme, if implemented in cities, can save a lot of time of the police as well as the judiciary, a state government official said.
According to government records, there are 12,71,956 cases of disputes (it includes civil, revenue, criminal and others) registered in the state. Of these 2,64,697 disputes were resolved by mutual understanding in the first year of the implementation of the scheme, he added.
Welcoming the idea of implementing the scheme in urban areas, additional chief secretary (home department), Chitkala Zutshi said, If minor issues are resolved in this fashion, the police can use their time to tackle more serious issues.
Meanwhile CM Vilasrao Deshmukhwho held a meeting to review the schemes progresssaid the state would reward the officers who have been working to promote the scheme. Efforts of officers will be noted in their annual confidential reports, he added.