Eye on elections, Punjab CM wants pensions, dues cleared

THE WHEAT WAS STORED ILLEGALLY IN A GODOWN AND TWO PRIVATE SPACES AT THE VILLAGE

CHANDIGARH : With an eye on the elections, Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Thursday asked deputy commissioners of all districts to organise suwidha camps to clear the backlog of social security pensions and dues of widows and Ashirwad Shagun scheme beneficiaries.

He ordered that property cards (sanads) for 5 marla plots be given to the homeless under the state’s Basera scheme and proprietary rights to slumdwellers occupying government land on Diwali on November 4. This was earlier scheduled for November 15.

Punjab goes to the polls by February next year and the Channi government wants the administration to focus on people-centric works.

During the meeting with the district chiefs in Chandigarh, the CM asked for starting the process to waive arrears of electricity bills of up to 2-kilowatt load.

To speed up ongoing development works and welfare schemes, Channi told the DCS to meet the MLAS concerned and redress concerns related to their

constituencies.

CM wants panel of revenue officers for reforms

He suggested amendments in the law to protect ownership rights of people’s property that have become obsolete and ensure timely clearance of driving licences, birth and death certificates and disability certificates.

He said this initiative would streamline the existing procedure of girdawari, mutation, jamabandi and land division to save people from fraudulent practices to divest them of their rights. Channi directed chief secretary Anirudh Tewari to constitute a committee of revenue officers to suggest reforms and make a proposal to abolish the girdawari system to ensure ownership rights only vests with the legitimate owners.

Hussan Lal, the principal secretary to the CM and special principal secretaries to the CM, Rahul Tewari and Kamal Kishor Yadav, also attended the meeting.

Calls to end corruption in registry offices

Channi asked DCS to be punctual and not to function from camp offices. He asked them to clamp down on corruption in registry offices.

He asked the DCS not to allow tehsildars to undertake property registration after office hours and unnecessarily cause delay on frivolous grounds.

He suggested DCS conduct surprise checks in offices to ensure punctuality and any employee found absent be suspended. The CM instructed the CS to direct all heads of departments, too, in this regard.

“Ensure that none from the public is forced to give bribe for getting their work done whether it’s approval for building plans or driving and arms licences,” Channi said.

He asked them to keep a vigil on drug trafficking and illegal mining. He called for protection of NRI properties and ensuring timely payment to farmers during paddy procurement.