Chennai, June 15:
In a move to streamline grievance redressal, arrangements were made for the public to submit petitions directly at the Chief Minister’s Special Cell at the Chennai Secretariat.
The Special Cell, which functions as a key department, receives and processes petitions from people across Tamil Nadu on issues such as employment, drinking water, road infrastructure, education assistance, and various welfare schemes. A large number of citizens visit the Secretariat daily to submit both personal and public interest requests.
Due to the increasing footfall, a special petition drop box was installed outside the Secretariat on June 2 to enable easier submission of grievances. While the facility allowed people to drop their petitions directly, provisions were also in place for those who preferred to meet officials in person and submit their requests inside the office.
Officials stated that the initiative was introduced to ensure quicker and more organized handling of petitions, with all submissions being properly recorded and forwarded to the relevant departments for action.
However, it has emerged that the drop box did not receive much response from the public. Most people expressed a preference for handing over their petitions directly to officials.
Following the lukewarm response, the special petition box placed outside the Secretariat has now been removed. Citizens are currently continuing to submit their petitions in person at the Chief Minister’s Special Cell as per the usual practice.