Panchkula residents stuck in municipal maze amid delay in construction of office

A seemingly simple task of grievance redressal or service request in the city can often turn into an arduous journey, as residents find themselves running from one office to another in the absence of a designated Municipal Corporation (MC) space. With department offices spread across three different sectors — Sector 4, Sector 12A, and Sector 14 — residents must navigate a labyrinth of bureaucratic inefficiencies to get the tasks done.

Varinder Marwaha, a resident of Sector 15, recently found himself at the mercy of a convoluted process when his water pipeline was damaged. The process to pay road-cut charges to have the pipe replaced below the road turned into a nightmare for him.

“My first stop was the MC office in Sector 14. However, I was told to head to the office in Sector 12A. Upon reaching Sector 12A, I was instructed to collect a form from the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) office in Sector 8,” Marwaha recalled.

It was, however, just the beginning of his ordeal, “After traveling to Sector 8, I returned to Sector 12A only to be told to approach the concerned Junior Engineer (JE) for further instructions. After running around, I was told to deposit the fee at a cash counter located in Sector 4,” Marwaha said.

While he eventually managed to complete the task, but it took an entire day’s worth of maneuvering a system that seemed designed to confuse rather than assist.

Marwaha’s experience is not unique. Parteek Gupta, a resident from another sector, faced a similar ordeal, bouncing from one MC office to another before eventually turning to the Resident Welfare Association (RWA) chief to get his issue resolved.

“It is a common issue for us in Panchkula. There is a lack of central location where all grievances can be addressed in a streamlined manner,” he added.

Sunil Jain, another frustrated resident from Sector 11, pointed out the lack of clarity about what responsibilities fall under the jurisdiction of the MC and what falls under the HSVP.

“It’s unclear where one body’s responsibility ends and the other’s begins. The confusion only adds to the frustration of residents,” he further said.

Despite repeated attempts, the MC Commissioner remained unreachable for comments.