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Fresh start
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Jamshedpur, April 27: West Singhbhum district administration held court in former rebel stronghold Saranda.
Bureaucrats on Friday spent four hours from 11.30am in the heart of Saranda for a janata durbar — public hearing — at Baliba village in Manoharpur block, 160km from Jamshedpur, signalling a sea change in attitudes of babudom as well as residents.
In April 2004, Baliba had hit headlines for a Maoist-sponsored landmine blast in which 28 policemen died.
In April 2012, 400 villagers turned up to meet representatives of the state to voice problems related to water, education and healthcare, grumbling over the delay of the much-hyped Saranda Action Plan.
Not much had happened on the ground. But much had happened in the mind. Villagers no longer allowed rebels to call the shots. Instead, they trusted the state machinery.
Deputy development commissioner (DDC) Balkishun Munda fielded posers of the gathering.
Villager Dhananjay Hansda asked DDC Munda when the integrated development centre, whose foundation was laid by Union minister Jairam Ramesh over four months ago, would start. Demka Soren asked if the school building, under construction for 10 years, would ever get complete.
DSP Arun Kumar Singh, additional DC Purna Chandra Kunkal, Manoharpur BDO Baidnath Oraon and officials from departments such as forests, education, drinking water and sanitation and road construction were also present.
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