Bareilly: Divisional Commissioner Bhupendra S. Chaudhary chaired a comprehensive divisional review meeting at the Development Bhawan auditorium, assessing the progress of key government schemes, revenue collection, agricultural procurement, healthcare services, infrastructure projects and public grievance redressal across the Bareilly Division.
The meeting began with a review of the wheat procurement campaign. Officials informed the Commissioner that wheat procurement had reached 68 percent of the state target, while procurement in the Bareilly Division stood at 58 percent. Expressing concern over the lower performance compared to the state average, the Commissioner directed officials to intensify efforts to increase procurement.
Reviewing preparations for the upcoming plantation drive, the Commissioner was informed that plantation targets have been fixed at 3.39 million saplings for Bareilly, 3.64 million for Badaun, 3.82 million for Shahjahanpur and 3.19 million for Pilibhit. Forest Department officials outlined plans to establish thematic forests, including Vande Mataram Van, Maharishi Charak Aushadhi Van, Samras Van, Samriddhi Van/Energy Forest and Kapi Van. Shade-giving trees will also be planted to mitigate the impact of heatwaves, while large-scale plantation activities are planned along the Ganga Expressway in Badaun and Shahjahanpur districts.
The Commissioner also reviewed progress under the Farmer Registry and Family ID initiatives and was informed that Family IDs have been generated for 80.16 percent of the population across the division.
During the health department review, officials were directed to strengthen anti-mosquito measures, including fogging in vulnerable areas, to curb seasonal communicable diseases. The Commissioner sought details regarding ambulance response times and payments under emergency medical services. Officials informed him that budgetary allocations had been released and payments to personnel were being made, while payments related to the 108 ambulance service are handled at the state level.
The meeting also reviewed progress under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, HPV vaccination programmes and the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK). The Commissioner instructed Chief Development Officers to closely monitor the quality of services delivered by RBSK teams in every development block.
Expressing concern over complaints regarding ultrasound centres, where doctors allegedly delegate duties to unauthorized personnel, the Commissioner was informed that two ultrasound centres in Aonla tehsil had recently been sealed. He directed health authorities to ensure patient-friendly services and obtain feedback from patients even after discharge regarding the behaviour of healthcare personnel.
Reviewing arrangements for stray cattle management, officials informed the meeting that cattle from shelters housing fewer than 50 animals are being shifted to larger facilities. Vacated shelters will be converted into fodder storage centres or green fodder cultivation sites. The Commissioner also sought updates on efforts to identify and reclaim encroached grazing lands and instructed departments to expedite the demarcation of pasture lands.
The review of the Chief Minister’s Dashboard covered several flagship schemes, including the Chief Minister Rural Housing Scheme, Child Development and Nutrition programmes, and the PM Surya Ghar Yojana. Officials reported that the target for rooftop solar installations under PM Surya Ghar has been tripled from 10,000 last year to 30,000 this year.
In the education sector, the Commissioner reviewed progress on school-wise enrolment verification, a task assigned during the previous meeting. Officials reported that inspections had been conducted and enrolment figures were found to be accurate. He also directed authorities to identify government doctors engaged in unauthorized private practice and instructed health officials to obtain vaccination reports from private hospitals.
The Commissioner reviewed ongoing and completed infrastructure projects across the division. Several projects, including a Kasturba Gandhi Residential School in Sidhauli and a Nursing College in Shahjahanpur, are expected to be completed this week. Hostel construction projects at Bisalpur and other locations are progressing, while several completed projects, including facilities in Tilhar, Sahaswan and Aonla, have already been handed over. A daycare centre project is also expected to be completed and transferred this month.
Updates were also provided on ongoing projects, including an Amrit Sarovar at Dataganj, a Veterinary Polyclinic at Gurgawan, the Parshuram Temple project at Jalalabad and residential facilities under the Rohilkhand Canal project. Officials informed the meeting that construction of the proposed Satellite Bus Station has not yet commenced due to technical reasons.
A detailed review of revenue collection revealed strong performances across departments. Pilibhit emerged as the top-performing district in state tax collection, achieving 71 percent of its target. Bareilly ranked first in stamp registration revenue, while Bareilly district achieved 95 percent of its excise revenue target and other districts reported full achievement of their respective targets.
The Commissioner also reviewed pending revenue cases and instructed officials to prioritize the disposal of cases pending for more than five years. Proceedings under various sections of the Revenue Code, including Sections 34, 38, 44, 67, 80 and 116, were reviewed. Badaun’s performance in revenue case disposal was found to be comparatively weaker than other districts and officials were directed to improve outcomes.
Reviewing public grievances registered on the Integrated Grievance Redressal System (IGRS), the Commissioner noted a decline in the percentage of satisfactory feedback across the division. He directed officials to improve grievance resolution quality and ensure that copies of complaint disposal reports are also provided to complainants.
The meeting was attended by Joint Development Commissioner Devendra Pratap, Additional Commissioner (Judicial) Preeti Jaiswal, Bareilly District Magistrate Avinash Singh, Badaun District Magistrate Avnish Kumar Rai, Pilibhit District Magistrate Gyanendra Singh, Chief Development Officers and other senior divisional officials.
Report by Akhilesh Chandra Saxena, Bareilly.
