And so when Bhandara district guardian Minister Mahadevrao Shivankar lend an ear to his grievances, and propelled the lethargic bureaucracy into finding an instant solution to his long-pending problem, he was overwhelmed.

Premlal's was not an exceptional case. Many other aggrieved farmers coming from remote villages and tribals from hamlets located in the hilly terrain along the border with Madhya Pradesh, had a similar experience. For these 500-odd poor villagers, attending a Janata darbar at Jamakudi-Darekasa on Thursday was a pleasant surprise. Hailing from the villages in Naxal-infested area, they could never have imagined that they would ever get instant justice in a democratic set up.

Shivankar issued directives to officials to clear the cases right in front ofhim. The 500-strong gathering watched in disbelief as Government officials rushed from one table to another to comply with the Minister's directives.

The complaints included: Delay in payment of compensation against land acquired for development projects, delay in releasing power connections for agricultural pumps and for domestic consumption and delay in payment of compensation to farmers whose crops were damaged by unseasonal rains.

The Minister lost his cool once, when a group of farmers complained about irregularities on the part of bank officials in payment. Criminal offences would be filed against them, he said.

The Minister even had to deal with a man who threatened self-immolation.Later, talking to a team of journalists from Nagpur, the Minister said the alliance Government's approach in finding solutions to long-pending problems in the remote areas have had the desired impact. He said the Naxal influence in these villages is on the wane since villagers have come to believe that they would getjustice without taking to arms.

The darbar was attended by District Collector Rakesh Shukla, DSP Sadanand Date, ZP CEO Abha Shukla and officials from Government Departments. Another darbar is scheduled to be held at Chichgad in Deori Tahsil on Saturday.