Assam: Simplify Mechanism for Quick Public Services, Says CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that 'good governance is rendering services to the public in a transparent manner through the simplification of the administrative mechanism.' He said that red tape on the part of a section of officials deprives the public of getting services in time.

The Chief Minister said this at a function to dedicate the Assam State Commission for Right to Public Services to the public here today. He also inaugurated the Assam Right to Public Services (ARPTS), an appeal mechanism portal to ensure the highest level of accountability.

The Chief Minister said that with the dedication of this accountability commission to the public, the right to public services will get a boost as the relevant Act has made it mandatory to cough up fines from their salaries if any public service is delayed because of negligence on the part of officials of any level-from a peon to the Chief Secretary.

The Chief Minister further said that this Act covers as many as 724 services in 64 departments as rights of the public. "We will upload the time stipulation for the disposal of each of the 724 services in the Sewa Setu portal-sewasetu.assam.gov.in," he said. He said that services like permission for buildings, issuance of trade licenses, erection of puja pandals, transport, issuance of marriage certificates, birth certificates, land mutation, police verification, etc. come under the Act, as all these are rights of the public.

The chief minister said that different departments in the state have received as many as 1.56 crore applications through the Sewa Setu portal. The departments have already disposed of 1.40 crore applications.

The chief minister said that the officials get their salaries from the taxes paid by the public, and hence redressing the grievances of the public is their prime duty.

Each department has a first appellate authority for the public to approach if any of their services is delayed. If the public does not get justice from the first appellate authority, he has the right to move the second appellate authority seeking justice. If he does not get justice there too, he will move the Assam State Commission for Right to Public Services. They can also directly move the commission that will ask the first and the second appellate authorities to do the needful. If the commission finds negligence on the part of any official or officials leading to the delay in providing public service, it has the right to impose a fine of up to Rs 10,000 on him or her.

The Chief Minister appealed to the officials to take this challenge on a positive note through the inculcation of the mindset of public service so as to make the system an efficient one without any hiccups.

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