Delay in service to cost officers dear

Ramkrishan Upadhyay  

Tribune News Service  

Chandigarh, January 30   

In a major step towards empowering people to seek hassle-free, corruption-free and time-bound service delivery mechanism in government  offices, the Ministry  of Home  Affairs has  extended  the Punjab  Right to Service  Act   to Chandigarh.

Sources said the ministry had issued a notification  for the   implementation of the Punjab Right  to  Service Act,  2011, and the Punjab Right to Service (Amendment)   Act, 2014, to the city. This would ensure speedy work and bring more transparency and credibility in the working of departments.

The Act also has a provision for imposing penalty on the designated officer for deficiency in service without any reasonable cause, which can range from Rs 500 to Rs 5,000, or disciplinary proceedings against the officer. The applicant may be compensated from the penalty imposed on the officer.  

 The  Act  has a provision for the  constitution of the  Chandigarh Right to Service Commission (CRTSC).  The CRTSC  will be entrusted with the task of making suggestions to the Administration for ensuring better delivery of services and proper  implementation  of the Act.  The commission will also hear revision applications against the orders of the second appellate authority. 

 Under the Act, besides fixing the time frame for the delivery of all services, the Administration  will have to nominate the first appellate authority and the second appellate authority to decide appeals against delays in provisioning of service. All departments will list out the  services offered by them with a timeline.  

On the failure of the designated officer to provide the service within the given time or refusal to provide the service, the aggrieved person can approach the first appellate authority.

An appeal can be made against the order of the first appellate authority to the second appellate authority, who can either accept or reject the application by making a written order stating the reasons for the order and intimate the same to the applicant. He can order the public servant to provide the service to the applicant or can impose a penalty on the designated officer for deficiency in service. The appellate authority has been granted certain powers of a civil court while trying a suit under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, like production of documents and issuance of summons to the designated officers and appellants. 

The Punjab Government has brought over 250  services  under the  ambit  of the  Act.  It has  fixed  a day’s time  to provide copies of “fard” and “jamabandi” by the Revenue Department and registration of all kinds of documents such as sale deed, lease deed and GPA partnership deed. It has fixed two days’ time for providing the current year’s copies and  five days’ time for previous years’  copies of birth/death certificates,  seven days’ time for issuing driving licences and  30 days’ time for sanction of building plans.