Rs 10K fine imposed on official of Chandigarh Estate Office for delay in service

Tribune News Service

Dushyant Singh Pundir

Chandigarh, April 4

Failing to provide a service within the stipulated time period has cost an official of the Estate Office dear as the Right to Service Commission has imposed a fine of Rs10,000 on him.

The Commission has also directed the Estate Officer to take action under the service rules.

In a petition filed before the Chandigarh Right to Service Commission on February 24, Mukesh Kumar Goyal stated that the Estate Office was not taking action on his request for calculation and intimation of dues in respect to booth number 2, Sector 44-C & D.

The petitioner submitted that the booth was sold in an open auction on February 26, 1991, on a leasehold basis for 99 years. The allotment of the booth was cancelled on April 7, 1993, on account of non-payment of premium.

Thereafter, he contested the case up to the Supreme Court and on the directions of the court, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (South), exercising powers of the Estate Officer, on December 21, 2020, set aside the 1993 cancellation order and restored the site to the owner subject to the conditions that the owners/lessees will deposit the dues within two months.

In the order, the Estate Officer directed the official concerned of the Estate Office to calculate the outstanding payment within 15 days and convey the same to the owners. When the official failed to comply with the orders of the SDM within the stipulated time, the applicant filed the petition before the Commission.

The Commission issued a show-cause notice to the official on March 3 this year as to why penal action should not be taken against him.

In his reply, the official stated that the file concerned remained under consideration with higher officers and was finally received back after the approval on March 3 this year.

After hearing both the parties, KK Jindal, Commissioner, Right to Service Commission, stated that the explanation of the official was not tenable for the simple reason that when clear orders for calculating the dues had already been passed by the Estate Officer, what more examination of the file or approval of the higher authorities was required?

The Commission observed that the official had been dealing with the case in a callous manner with a scant regard to the fact that the petitioner had been running from pillar to post since 1993 to get justice and hence, he very well deserved the imposition of a strict penalty of Rs10,000.

Out of the total fine, Rs9,000 shall be given as compensation to the petitioner.

He also directed the Estate Officer to initiate an inquiry against other officials of the branches concerned, who had contributed to the delay in calculation of the pending dues or otherwise; and take disciplinary action against them accordingly.

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