Deputy Commissioner (DC) Bandipora, Shahbaz Ahmad Mirza today held an interaction with Sarpanchs and senior citizens of the district to get the first-hand account of the grievances and issues faced by the people.The meeting was attended by SSP Bandipora Rahul Malik, ACR Bandipora Reyaz Ahmad Beigh and the officers of other concerned departments.During the interaction Sarpanchs appraised the Deputy Commissioner about several issues faced by the people in their respective Panchayats and sought his intervention in redressing the grievances.While interacting with the Sarpanchs, DC Bandipora said the Panchayats are the important units of democracy and stressed on involving people in the decision making and peace building measures.Mirza said the real progress can be achieved at the grass root level only if the Panchayats are strengthened. He stressed the empowered Panchayats to build confidence among people for maintaining peace. He also asked senior citizens to play pivotal role in maintaining peace and calm in their respective regions.It was also given out in the meeting that a sufficient stock of essential commodities including rice, sugar, LPG etc are available in the district.