The Chief Commissioner of the Punjab Transparency and Accountability Commission, Shri V.K. Janjua, held a meeting today with the district administration. This training session was conducted under the Government of India sponsored project, “Development of the Centralized Unified Digital Services Portal and Data Repository for Pendency Management in Punjab” with the support of the Deputy Commissioner’s Office, Fatehgarh Sahib; Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration; and the Department of Governance Reforms and Information Technology.
He stated that providing government services to citizens within the stipulated time frame is the duty of government employees, and any negligence in this regard will not be tolerated. On this occasion, Deputy Commissioner Smt. Sona Thind, Additional Deputy Commissioner Smt. Pooja Syal Grewal and Dr. Nayan, Secretary, Punjab Transparency and Accountability Commission, were also present.
Shri V.K. Janjua instructed all officials to perform their duties in a time-bound and responsible manner. During the meeting, it was informed that the Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) will collect data from all departments of the district and forward it to the Commission, including data related to driving licences, building plans, and other citizen services.
Instructions were issued that the report should be sent only after detailed analysis of the data by the ADC (General). The meeting also included discussions on the role of Designated officers and Appellate authorities from municipal committees, municipal councils, and all departments.
During the programme, Shri Janjua informed that the “Auto-Appeal” module has been made live and appeals are being sent into the accounts of ADCs. Addressing the officials, Shri V.K. Janjua stated that through the appeal module available on the “Connect Punjab” website, citizens can file appeals in cases where services are not delivered within the prescribed time limits.
The Commissioner further clarified that the appellate authority has the power to impose a penalty of up to ₹5,000. It was stated that such cases will be strictly examined, and where objections are raised without valid justification, a penalty of up to ₹10,000 per case will be imposed under Section 16(3) of the Act.
It was also clarified that raising piecemeal objections and rejecting any application multiple times without any justified reason are in direct violation of Sections 6(1) and 6(2) of the “Punjab Transparency and Accountability in Delivery of Public Services Act, 2018,” which mandate that every complete application must be disposed of within the prescribed time frame or rejected with valid reasons.
The Chief Commissioner directed that information boards be installed at Sewa Kendras, Saanjh Kendras and Fard Kendras so that citizens are made aware of their rights. He urged all officials to work with honesty and integrity.
He warned that strict action will be taken against officials or employees who harass citizens, fail to perform their duties, or deliberately delay work with malafide intent. Emphasis was also laid on creating maximum public awareness about the Punjab Transparency and Accountability Act.
On this occasion, ADC (D) Surinder Singh Dhaliwal, SDM Fatehgarh Sahib Suba Singh, SDM Bassi Pathana Harbir Kaur, SDM Khamano Manreet Rana, SP Harwant Kaur, Consultant, MGSIPA, Ms. Imrose Tiwana; Punjab Good Governance Fellow, Ms. Shivani; along with officers from various departments, were present.