STATE OF COMMISSIONS IN PUNJAB
REALITY CHECK As the Capt Amarinder Singhled Congress government last week dissolved the Right to Service Commission, citing gaps in functioning and huge expenditure, HT takes a look at similar commissions constituted by successive regimes to find out wh
As the Amarinder government last week dissolved the Right to Service Commission, citing gaps in functioning and expenditure, HT takes a look at similar panels formed to find out whether they served purpose.
CHANDIGARH:: Launched in 2011 as a pet project of then deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal for the smooth delivery of public services, the Punjab Right to Service Commission has lost steam.
The commission, whose working got hit after the new government took charge in March 2017, was abolished by the Congress government on July 18, removing all 10 commissioners. It was dissolved after the governor gave assent to the Punjab Transparency and Accountability in Delivery of Public Service Act, 2018.
A new one-member commission under a retired or serving officer will be set up in its place to ensure delivery of services in electronic mode in three to five years. The new chief commissioner is still to be named and the government departments and other organisations will get 180 days to notify the public services.
The Congress government decided to wind up the panel at the outset when it did not name any successor to chief commissioner SC Agrawal. The commission’s dissolution, coupled with a cut in the number of Sewa Kendras for 100 citizen-centric services from 2,147 to 500, is being seen as a setback to public service delivery.
The commission, which had an annual budget of ₹3 crore, was monitoring the delivery of 351 services with a 100strong staff, taking action against 161 officials. Agrawal said the commission was effective. “Before it was constituted, no one was even monitoring service requests and their disposal. In five years, timely disposal rate went beyond 99% with daily service requests of 1 lakh a day. A one-member panel can also be effective” he said.
While officials cite cost as one of the reasons for dissolving the 11-member commission, not everyone agrees. AAP legislator Aman Arora, who has been raising related issues, terms it a political move aimed at getting rid of people appointed by another regime. “The decision reflects their myopic vision, besides dilution of its role,” he said, adding, “If the government is so keen to save money, it should remove advisers engaged by it.” Some say the Akali government created a problem by making unnecessary political appointments.
THE CONGRESS GOVERNMENT DECIDED TO WIND UP THE PANEL AT THE OUTSET WHEN IT DID NOT NAME ANY SUCCESSOR TO CHIEF COMMISSIONER SC AGRAWAL.