Jharkhand News: Palamu DDC hosts ‘Meet the Press’ to address progress and challenges

THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK

Daltonganj, May 20: It was like a Meet the Press (MTP) on Tuesday, but here with a subtle difference. Unlike the usual format where the media extends the invitation, this time it was Deputy Development Commissioner (DDC) Md Shabbir Ahmad who took the initiative. He clarified right at the outset that it was neither a formal press briefing nor a conference.

DDC Shabbir said “I can’t do any of the two press briefing or press conference unless I am authorised by the DC.”

The idea of Meet the Press was to know how to give a facelift to Palamu. It was the DDC who first of all took down his pen and notebook before any journalist did the same.

Starting on a note of cacophony of myriad of issues or problems, the journalists did try to leave little space for the DDC to wriggle out of the deluge of questions, but the host presented the administration’s viewpoints in a pragmatic approach.

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Administrative Perspective on Key Issues

Talking about Green Palamu, he said there would be coming 43 nurseries that will cater to the needs of the Didi Bagiyaa and the Birsa Harit Gram Yojna.

DDC said there was a record fatality of saplings that used to come here from Nagpur, but with the backyard nurseries, it is hoped fatality of the saplings will be reduced to a great extent.

Although the DDC didn’t use the term global warming, but he meant it most when he said Palamu district aims at a large-scale afforestation drive with 7 lakhs of the saplings.

It is difficult to assess who did the most of the talking the Press or the DDC. To be fair and without any prejudice it was the DDC who did most of the talking. He tried to be precise but was very careful and cautious enough to bypass questions that carried content of the policy-making.

During the Meet the Press, he announced to be holding meetings with regard to the private schools and private hospitals and here the Press came like an avalanche of the queries and the complaints.

In quite a good humour, the DDC quipped, “Swasthya vibhag ka health abhi theek nahi hai.” This humour put a full stop to any more queries in regard to health.

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Fluoride Woes and Water Conservation Plans

Again, in Meet the Press, the DDC tried to inform that rain waters across the roads are to be preserved but despite his drawing for the plan with the movement of his both the hands, many in the Meet the Press just couldn’t follow it except that every drop of rain is to be preserved.

The menace of the high content of the fluoride in the drinking water drew a good exchange of complaints and claims between the Press and the DDC where the Press referring to village Chukru a highly fluoride ridden village charged the administration of doing nothing to mitigate the sufferings of the fluoride affected population there while with equal intensity the DDC tried to convince the mitigational measures are in place there at Chukru.

The first ever Meet the Press looked like in the beginning a 20-over cricket match but it gradually turned into a full-fledged one day match. There was no umpire here as everyone right from the Press down to the DDC knew where the boundary line was drawn, said many there.

DDC was half pensive and half pleased when he said there is a medical college here but there is no ICU. Then, in a very reassuring tone, he said steps are on to set up an ICU here.