09 September,2010 08:25 AM IST | | Salil Urunkar
SP (Pune Rural) Pratap Dighavkar talks about his award-winning efforts to make state's dispute-free village scheme grand success and UN interest in implementing it worldwide
IT started as a village-level voluntary participation scheme in the rural areas of the state, and went on to enjoy great success in the district.
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Now the Mahatma Gandhi Dispute-Free Village Scheme has been hailed by the United Nations (UN) for its efficient executionu00a0- so impressed is the UN with it that its worldwide implementation is on the cards.
Success story: Superintendent of Police (Pune Rural) IPS Officer
Pratap Dighavkar. Pic/Nikhil Ghorpadeu00a0
Pratap Ramchandra Dighavkar, the superintendent of police (Pune Rural), is the man behind the grand success of the scheme, which aims to resolve disputes at the village level itself through dialogue and understanding, thus avoiding lengthy court procedures that consume poor village folks' time and money.
Successful implementation of the scheme has not only helped reduce the pressure on Dighavkar's policemen but also averted numerous serious crimes that may occur with escalation of disputes.
UN presentation
A 1987 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, Dighavkar recently made a presentation on the scheme to a committee of officials from the UN.
Impressed by the sheer volume of disputes resolved amicably at the village level itself, the UN is now studying the scheme, which it plans to introduce in developing countries worldwide.
"The presentation and discussion at the UN went on for more than three hours, in which, besides the UN officials, ambassadors from about 10 countries participated," Dighavkar said. "Nicholas Henge, the chief political advisor to the UN secretary general, studied the scheme and has now recommended it."
The Peace Management and Conflict Solution Committee of the UN now studying the scheme.
"The committee is studying the scheme for limitations, sustainability and possible modifications which can be made to it for its worldwide implementation," Dighavkar said.
Secret of success
On the success of the scheme, Dighavkar said it was but natural that people would see the light and understand why they should go for mutual resolution of their disputes once they were told about the lengthy court procedures.
"There are three crore cases pending in different courts all of which would take at least 120 years if court hearings proceed at the current pace," said Dighavkar. "On the other hand, we have been successful in resolving 37,242 cases in the past eight months."
The officer said people had a sense of having had their say in the resolution of disputes that they were involved in, and the fact that the decision reached by the village-level committee was not binding made the warring parties approach the scheme with an open mind.
"The factors which have made the scheme a success are that it's a zero-budget scheme and the decision reached by the committee is not binding on the affected parties," Dighavkar said. "Besides this, community participation and settling disputes through discussion and not through argumentsu00a0- unlike in courtsu00a0- have helped build confidence among the public."
Awards list
Besides the SAARC award for Best Innovation Scheme for the Mahatma Gandhi Dispute Free-Village Mission, Dighavkar was also nominated for the Commonwealth Award for the Best in Public Administration in 2008, and the Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar, which is the highest award for environment by the Centre, in 2007.
| How scheme works? |
| > UNDER the Mahatma Gandhi Dispute-Free Village u00a0u00a0 scheme, a 30-member committee is formed on u00a0u00a0 Independence Day every year in the villages that want u00a0u00a0 to be a part of the scheme > The committee also includes members who represent u00a0u00a0 the youth, women, the weaker sections of society, theu00a0 u00a0u00a0u00a0minority and others who need to have a voice in au00a0 u00a0u00a0 particular village. Meetings are conducted twice au00a0 u00a0u00a0u00a0month, ensuring speedy resolution of disputesu00a0- in u00a0u00a0 about 15 days on an average. > The affected parties have to make an application saying u00a0u00a0u00a0 that they wish to settle their dispute under the u00a0u00a0u00a0 scheme, after which discussions are held. If a mutuallyu00a0 u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0agreed conclusion is reached, the court is informedu00a0 u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0about it and the case is considered closed > Only civil cases are settled with this scheme. Serious u00a0u00a0 crimes such as murder, rioting and rape are not handled u00a0u00a0u00a0 by the committee |
