RTS Commission empowered to impose penalty up to Rs.10,000 on officer failing to provide service in time

Chandigarh, July 14, 2014: In a bid to further strengthen the Right to Service Commission, the Punjab Government has amended the certain sections of the ‘Punjab Right to Service (RTS) Act, 2011’. With the amendment in section 17 of the Act, now the Commission has conferred the power to impose the penalty up to Rs.10,000 on designated officer or any other official involved in the process of providing services under the Act, if the Commission is of the opinion that the official concerned has failed without sufficient cause in due discharge of the duty caste upon him.
Disclosing this here, an official spokesperson of the RTS Commission said that the notification in this regard has been issued and now, this Act might be called the ‘Punjab Right to Service (Amendment) Act, 2014’. He said that this Act has conferred duty on Punjab Right to Service Commission to take Suo-Moto notice of failure to deliver service in accordance with the time line fixed by the state government and can refer such cases to 2nd Appellate Authority or pass such orders as may be appropriate.
The spokesperson said that Punjab Right to Service Act was enacted with the sole objective to deliver various notified services to the people of state within given time limit in a hassle free manner. ‘’To make the Act effective and keeping in view the interests of public, the 2nd Appellate Authority has been empowered to impose a penalty of Rs.250 per day subject to maximum of Rs.5000 for delay in the delivery of services by designated officers or any other officials involved in the process of providing such services”, the spokesperson added.
He said that the Punjab Right to Service Act has strengthened the Commission to implement the provisions of the Act vigorously, so that eligible person could get the services within time lines notified by the state government.