Bengaluru: In a meeting with the district-in-charge secretaries on Tuesday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah issued instructions to uproot middlemen from government offices.

Siddaramaiah said that middlemen were a hindrance while reaching out to the poor.

The meeting which lasted for about five hours in the State capital was behind closed doors with media not allowed inside. The CM’s office provided a note on the proceedings of the meeting later in the day.

It is said that the CM has directed all the officials take disciplinary action against officials responsible for dereliction of duty and also to regularly visit the districts entrusted to them.

“Thousands of applications seeking mutations were pending before the Revenue department. Applications of those who pay bribes are processed. Where should the poor farmer go??Surveyors have turned bed bugs, sucking the blood of the poor,” he said.

Siddaramaiah has also instructed Additional?Chief Secretary, Higher Education?department, Bharath Lal Meena, to look into Maharani Women’s college hostel issue and also said that the hostelites’ payment for food for the last three years should be refunded. He also ordered the suspension of the hostel warden.