This Article is From Jan 13, 2014

Arvind Kejriwal scraps 'janta darbar', but says he will still meet with public

Arvind Kejriwal scraps 'janta darbar', but says he will still meet with public

The AAP has said it stands committed to ensuring that politicians are accountable to the public

New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has abandoned plans to hold a "janta darbar" or public feedback session once every week, vowing instead to meet people instead more informally for two-three hours.

"I will meet people once a week," Mr Kejriwal said. "People can post their grievances online. We will set up a call centre, people can also send in their complaints via post," he added.

On Saturday, his first "janta darbar" ended in chaos with officials unprepared to handle the larger-than-expected crowd of thousands that showed up at the Delhi government's headquarter to share their complaints with their new chief minister and his cabinet.

Mr Kejriwal had to exit the venue mid-way. He promised better arrangements for the next session. (Read)

Though his revised plans have yet to be finalised, sources say Mr Kejriwal will no longer meet people with his ministers. Instead, his interaction will be on a smaller scale.

The "janta darbar" featured in a slew of features announced by Mr Kejriwal and his Aam Admi Party (AAP)  to interact directly with residents of the capital to deliver better and swifter governance.

Mr Kejriwal has introduced a series of helplines for people to register complaints against corrupt bureaucrats or share feedback on electricity problems.

The AAP has said it stands committed to ensuring that politicians are accountable to the public.

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