Hyderabad: Law to back citizen charter

Hyderabad: The state government has decided to give statutory backup to citizen charters in the Municipal Act which will be introduced in the special two-day Assembly session starting on July 18. The Act also aims at punishing citizens in case of violation of rules and indulging in illegal constructions.

Urban local bodies (ULBs) release citizen charters just as a formality but fail to mandatorily extend the services to citizens.  Though there was a provision to impose a penalty on officers for failing to deliver within the time limit that was prescribed in the charter, especially with regard to building permission, trade licence, water connections, it was largely ignored.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao himself admitted that there were a large number of complaints from the citizens regarding the abnormal delay and corruption in extending services by the ULBs.

He felt that there was dire need for rectifying the maladies in extending services to the citizens by the ULBs across the state.

During a recent review with senior officers with regard to functioning of the ULBs, the Chief Minister pointed out that the penalty provision on the officers hardly was being implemented and added that stringent punishment shall be incorporated in the new Act.

Mr Rao instructed the officials to ensure that both the elected representatives and officers of concerned local bodies would be held responsible in case of dereliction of duties under the new Act.

The officers of the Municipal Administration and Urban Development disclosed that keeping in view the instructions of the chief minister, the Act would be drafted to extend painless services to the citizen. The officials said that the new Act would bring more transparency in the administration of ULBs and also people to get services through a single window system.

The officers said that the new Act would have a penalty clause to punish citizens and realtors for violation of rules.