Residents of Mehsana welcome new “District Panchayat at Your Doorstep” scheme

The Mehsana district Panchayat has inaugurated Gujarat’s first “District Panchayat at Your Doorstep” programme on July 1, with Nitin Patel overseeing the launch. The objective is to provide a convenient platform for rural inhabitants to voice complaints without traveling to the district headquarters. The maiden public hearing was arranged at the Annapurna building in the holy town of Bahucharaji, where villagers from the area crowded to present grievances concerning road conditions, water supply, borewell provision, the presence of talati officers in gram panchayats, and the construction of new panchayat facilities. Patel listened attentively, queried department officials present, and demanded timely resolutions, mandating that administrative procedures cause no further inconvenience to citizens. Major infrastructure requests focused on completing a missing 200‑metre portion of the Shankhlap‑Kalari bypass blocked by a canal, reconstructing and widening a damaged road from Dodiwara‑Adivara to Khambhel Chowkri, and expediting the Kanoda‑Ranela road project. Additional petitions sought a permanent talati for Ranela gram panchayat, a new panchayat building, development of the Ambaka‑Badiya road, drilling a new borewell in Saduthala, and the restart of a dormant state bus service. Patel stated that the scheme is intended to make government services easily reachable and to settle local issues at the grassroots, with each taluka maintaining a master register to log applications and follow‑ups. Monthly monitoring will be carried out by district officials, and any issues beyond district competence will be escalated to higher levels for swift action. Beneficiaries also received Ayushman cards, income and caste certificates. The gathering featured MLA Sukaji Thakor, ex‑minister Rajni Patel, district development officer Anchu Wilson, and other senior officials.