Siddharamaiah chairs first meeting after regime change at Mysuru ZP Hall; seeks change in officers’ attitude

Mysore/Mysuru: Asking officers to change the way of functioning under his rule, Chief Minister Siddharamaiah said that complacency, corruption and negligence will not be tolerated and action will be taken against officers if they neglect governance.

He was addressing his first review meeting with a host of officers in Mysuru yesterday after he became the CM for the second time. The meeting took place at Zilla Panchayat Auditorium.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister issued a clear warning to all officers, stating that they must act in accordance with the wishes of the new Government. He stressed that the people desired a change and the new Government had been elected to fulfil those expectations. Non-compliance would result in strict action, such as disciplinary measures, against officials, he warned.

Among the various topics the CM discussed at the meeting was the monsoon preparation where he asked the officers to be ready. He instructed the District Administration to ensure necessary arrangements are made for agricultural activities and emphasised the importance of preventing a shortage of sowing seeds and fertilisers to support the farmers.

Siddharamaiah warned that the Joint Director of agriculture would be held accountable for any injustices towards farmers, with disciplinary action to follow. He directed the Deputy Commissioner (DC) to release pending relief for crop losses and stressed the need to manage the drinking water crisis effectively in case of delayed rains.

The CM urged the officials to prepare a contingency plan and manage available resources to prioritise drinking water. He held the DC and the ZP CEO responsible for any water scarcity, emphasising the importance of avoiding mistakes made in other districts facing water crisis.

To ensure water availability for both drinking purposes and standing crops, Siddharamaiah instructed officers to manage the water levels in reservoirs. He suggested considering the use of surplus water from Hemavathi Dam until the arrival of rains, to support farmers and alleviate potential problems.

Importance of KDP meeting

The CM asked officers to come well-prepared for the upcoming KDP (Karnataka Development Programme) meetings, which would be convened by Mysuru District Minister. “I expect KDP meetings to take place every three months in all districts where there is effective preparation, community engagement and participation,” he added.

Siddharamaiah underlined the importance of field visits for officers to gain first-hand knowledge of the people’s problems and evaluate staff behaviour. He instructed the DC to address corruption in Tahsildars’ offices and urged the ZP CEO to take action against PDOs who faced numerous complaints. The CM conveyed his zero-tolerance policy towards corruption and the need to eliminate middlemen.

Responding to a complaint about corruption in RTO (Regional Transport Office) offices, Siddharamaiah assured that corrupt officers would face severe consequences. He reiterated the Government’s firm stance against corruption.

The meeting was attended by Minister K. Venkatesh (in-charge of Chamarajanagar district), MLAs G.T. Deve Gowda, Tanveer Sait, G.D. Harish Gowda, D. Ravishankar, Darshan Dhruvanarayan, K. Harishgowda, T.S. Srivatsa and Anil Chikkamadu, MLC Dr. D. Thimmaiah, Deputy Commissioner Dr. K.V. Rajendra, Zilla Panchayat CEO K.M. Gayathri, City Police Commissioner Ramesh Banoth and other senior District officers.

CM’s pep talk to District Ministers

At one point during the meeting, turning at District Ministers, CM Siddharamaiah said, “If the District Ministers do not pull up their socks and be battle-ready, even the officers will follow them. If they are active and demanding, the officers too will obey and do the work. Do not always blame the officers. Correct your mistakes too and take officers into confidence and make them work.”