File photo of Oommen Chandy
The second phase of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's mass contact programme began in Ernakulam district today, with thousands of persons, including those seeking medical aid and title land deeds, queuing up to meet him at the collectorate to submit their list of grievances.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said the aim of the programme was to reduce the distress of the people and find a solution to their problems.
"There is no point in blaming officials. There is need to have new orders. After the first phase of the programme, 45 new orders were issued by the government," he said.
There was heavy police presence to stop Left Democratic Front (LDF) activists from disturbing the programme. LDF workers were stopped at various roads leading to the collectorate at Kakkanad.
LDF has been agitating against the Chief Minister, demanding his resignation over the solar panel scam.
Over 5,000 persons from various parts of the district have so far registered to hand over their grievances to the Chief Minister. Over 300 title deeds would be disbursed. At least Rs 17 lakh will be disbursed as medical aid at the programme, officials said.