District magistrate Sanjay Kumar Singh meets people at his janata darbar at Patna Collectorate on Thursday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, April 28: Physically challenged complainants at district magistrate’s (DM’s) janata darbar at Patna Collectorate would not have to climb up the 33 stairs to the first-floor office any more. Patna DM Sanjay Kumar Singh will now “reach out” to such complaints, much like chief minister Nitish Kumar.

While physically fit people will still have climb up the stairs to meet the DM, kumar would go downstairs to meet the differently abled people who come for help.

This practice was started by Nitish during his janata darbar at 1 Aney Marg, held every Monday. While the general complainants stand in the queue and wait for their turn, the chief minister goes and meets the differently abled people.

Sources said the chief minister’s decision to go and meet the physically challenged people himself was to “make them feel comfortable”.

Earlier, a member of planning commission of India, Narendra Jadhav, was very impressed by the concept, when he visited the city in February this year.

The DM took the decision today during his janata darbar, after he saw a man who had lost one leg, struggling to reach his table while holding the application in one hand and keeping his balance with the single crutch under the other arm.

Singh shouted: “What is this? There must be some alternative. Physically challenged people should not to struggle so much to meet me.”

Then he called his junior official and said: “From the next time, physically challenged complainants need not come here, they will sit downstairs and I will go and meet them. They must feel comfortable here.”

This is the first time a DM has taken such as step. Asked why he did not come up with this plan earlier, the DM told The Telegraph: “just struck me just now when I saw the man struggling to reach my table. All good things begin one day. From now on, I will go downstairs to meet any physically challenged person who comes here.”

Job woes

Ten persons registered their complaints at the janata darbar of social welfare minister Parveen Amanullah at JD (U) office. Most of the complaints were regarding the allegations made by individuals over controversial appointments of Class III and IV employees in the social welfare department, including anganwadi sevikas and child development programme officers.

“Such public interactions help us understand the loopholes in our department and it’s functioning. Although the desired results has been difficult to achieve because of a shortage of employees, but we continuously strive to make necessary changes,” Amanullah said. This was her second janata darbar, the first one being on April 7.