Punjab is preparing to enact a new legislation to ensure citizens’ rights with dignity while making civil servants accountable through a system of cash penalties for which they will be personally liable.
To be initially promulgated as an ordinance, the new law will include an unprecedented 56 public services ranging from revenue, health, water and electricity, vehicle registration, arms licenses, security clearance for passports to character verifications, first information reports and daily diary reports from local police stations.
It will be mandatory for officers to disburse all-included services within a stipulated time period failing which not only will the aggrieved applicant become eligible for compensation but stiff cash penalties will be deducted from the pay check of the responsible official.
For instance, certified copies of all revenue documents pertaining to land records, birth and death certificates must be provided within 24 hours while municipal water, power or sewerage connections must be granted within seven working days. Similar time has been stipulated for each of the 56 services.
Drafted on the basis of recommendations made by the Punjab Governance Reforms Commission, the proposed ordinance is designed to minimise public harassment due to delay or denial of government services. Dealing officials must officially record on file plausible reasons for any delay and applicants will have recourse to two separate levels of appeal within the administration. Erring officers will be fined `250 per day of delay caused and unfair denial could attract a penalty between `500 to `5,000.