Ranchi, March 1: Chief minister inaugurated the new month with his Seedhi Baat, an over-one-hour public hearing at Jan Samvad Kendra today that involved videoconferencing with government officials across districts, taking up 17 cases ranging from substandard solar lights in Bokaro to land grab in East Singhbhum to corruption at a Chatra anganvadi centre.

The local nature of the complaints made it evident that redress was lacking at panchayat, block or district levels, which is why people were forced to approach the chief minister.

One Dhirendra Nath Sah of Chas block in Bokaro complained to the chief minister that 25 solar lights installed in Silgadda panchayat went defunct within six months. Sah also alleged solar lights, whose individual price should not exceed Rs 10,000, were bought at Rs 27,000 apiece. "We took up the matter with the block development officer, but in vain," Sah said at which the chief minister directed Bokaro police and district officials, linked to the Ranchi venue via videoconferencing, to send a probe report in three days.

The way anganvadi centres were run under ICDS (Integrated Child Development Scheme) also got apparent when a villager of Pratappur block of Chatra district complained one Maya Kumari allegedly drew her monthly honorarium as a sevika without coming to work. "Maya has been married off a decade back in Bihar. But, since then no nutritional supplements have been given to children and pregnant women," villager Dowid Yadav said.

When Das questioned Chatra administration, they said they would showcause officials concerned.

The chief minister also directed Godda district administration to lodge an FIR against erring officials and recover sums spend on a road scheme under MGNREGS after one Balram Thakur told him that government funds were misused twice in two years on the same stretch.

Ajay Yadav of Manika block in Latehar told the chief minister that their village transformer was defunct since three years. On the chief minister's prod, Latehar officials promised action in a week.

A tribal man, Lakshu Oraon of East Singhbhum's Mosabani, complained that one Narayan Khemka and his sons had grabbed their three acres divided into five plots, with no change in the situation even after the SDO and DC passed restoration orders. East Singhbhum DC Amitabh Kaushal said the Khemkas had submitted a high court status quo order for two plots. "We served them orders to vacate the rest by March 15."