UT starts process to notify services under RTS Act

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 21

In a major step towards providing public services in time-bound manner, the Right to Services Commission, UT, has started the process to notify services under the Act.

Sources said the Commission had sought information from all departments to provide a list of the services offered by them and the time period for providing the services.

RTS Commissioner KK Jindal said the steps were being taken to empower people to seek hassle-free, corruption-free and time-bound service in government offices. 

The UT has constituted the Commission after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) extended the Punjab Right to Service Act to Chandigarh a few months ago. 

Jindal said the lists of the services offered by major public dealing departments, including the Estate Office, the CHB, the MC and Transport, had been received. “We have started the process to notify them. The services will be notified in a phased manner” he added.

Initially, 50 services will be notified.

The Act also has the 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 can be initiated against the official. The applicant may be compensated from the penalty imposed on the official. 

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 delay in providing the service. 

On the failure of the designated official 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.