my uttarakhand news Bureau
Dehradun, 21 Jan: Dehradun Citizens Forum organised a town hall today as a new civic initiative to discuss key issues facing the city of Dehradun. The event was held at the Doon Library and saw participation of the district administration and officials from seven key departments. Citizens raised questions on various civic issues, and officials responded directly. Many of the questions related to city governance and service delivery, and at times officials appeared uncomfortable with the sharp and pointed queries. Several participants also offered constructive suggestions for improving systems. Memoranda related to the issues of all seven departments were formally submitted to the officials.The programme was opened by Jagmohan Mehdiratta from Dehradun Citizens Forum, who highlighted major urban challenges such as traffic congestion, encroachment, and parking, and pointed out the lack of timely action to address them. Bharti Jain and Florence Pandhi took the programme forward, sharing details of Dehradun Citizens Forum’s work over the past two years. These included discussions with mayoral candidates on a Green Agenda, road safety campaigns, women’s safety in public spaces, waste management initiatives, advocacy for an electric crematorium, debris dumping zones, and writing to Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on the proposed elevated road.Through a PPT presentation, Ramana Kumar highlighted issues related to traffic lights, parking, footpath encroachment, traffic chaos on Sahastradhara Road, and garbage dumps along roadsides and vacant plots. Anoop Nautiyal questioned why public opinion is not taken when plans for Dehradun are prepared, and why decisions are often taken by a few individuals when elected representatives are temporary but citizens are permanent stakeholders.Transport Department official Shailesh Tiwari stated that 100 new electric buses will soon be introduced in the city, along with additional Magic vehicles and e-rickshaws to improve last-mile connectivity. Municipal Corporation official Dr Avinash Khanna stated that door-to-door waste collection is being made more systematic and that 100 new e-rickshaws will be deployed for waste management. Dr Ankur Kansal from the Pollution Control Board pointed out that traffic jams and repeated digging of roads are major contributors to pollution and stressed the need to control pollution at its source.Traffic Police official Lalit Bora said studies are underway to manage congestion at major intersections such as Ghantaghar, Darshan Lal Chowk, and Lansdowne Chowk, adding that VIP movement is also a contributing factor to traffic jams. MDDA official Rahul Kapoor stated that if a list of suitable plantation sites is provided, MDDA would make efforts to carry out plantation. PWD official OP Singh said the proposed elevated road would segregate city traffic from through traffic, helping reduce congestion.The question-and-answer session was intense and engaging. Citizens raised several department-specific concerns and offered solutions. While some questions were sharp, officials welcomed the suggestions and assured that they would discuss them within their departments and attempt implementation.The citizens’ memorandum submitted to officials listed 12 demands related to the Municipal Corporation, 10 related to Traffic Police, 11 each related to PWD and MDDA, 10 related to the Pollution Control Board, 9 related to the Transport Department, and 10 related to the District Administration.Several members of Dehradun Citizens Forum, a large number of city residents, and youth participated in the programme. Students from the Mass Communication Department of Graphic Era University were also present. Participants appreciated the initiative and stressed the need to continue such dialogues in the future.
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