1,647 defunct sewa kendras in state up for grabs for different govt depts
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST INVITED FROM OFFICIALS OF VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS AT SUB-DIVISIONAL AND DISTRICT LEVEL FOR USING THESE BUILDINGS
LUDHIANA : As many as 1,647 sewa kendras (service centres), which have been lying defunct for over a year across the state, are up for grabs for other government departments.
Of a total of 2,147 such centres that were opened in the state, only 500 are operational.
In a notification issued by the department of government reforms, expressions of interest have been invited from officials of various departments at the district and sub-divisional level for running operations from these buildings.
The notification has been sent to all the deputy commissioners asking them to inform SDMS, agriculture officers, civil surgeons, social welfare officers, district development and panchayat officers, district programme officers, assistant labour commissioners, district education officers (secondary and primary), deputy directors (local bodies), district food and supply controllers, district employee officers, regional transport officers, regional transport authorities, district public relation officers, district treasury officers, district welfare officers and district sport officers about the move.
They have been told to send expressions of interest for using these centres.
Equipped with modern facilities, these much-hyped centres were inaugurated in September 2016 by the then deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. Nearly ₹200 crore was spent on their construction. The SAD- BJP government had termed these sewa kendras as a major step towards delivery of citizen-centric services.
However, the Congress after coming to power had termed these centres as white elephant as ₹220 crore was being spent annually as payment to a private vendor contracted to operate them.
It was later decided to operate these buildings as anganwadi centres and panchayat offices. But that proposal did not see the light of day.