Hyderabad: Citizens
can now expect civic services to be delivered in a specified
time-frame. The GHMC has come out with a revised model Citizen’s Charter
that offers to pay compensation to citizens (applicants) in case of
delay in delivery of service on the part of the civic body.

Compensation
will be paid to the applicant at Rs 50 per day in case of services of
revenue, engineering and health sections, and Rs 100 per day in case of
services of the GHMC town planning wing towards loss of valuable time.
This compensation will be recovered from the person who delayed service
delivery. Disciplinary action will also be initiated against a
defaulting officer who pays fines at least three times a year.

Civil
society organisations welcomed the Citizen’s Charter, but said they did
not expect miracles from officials. Earlier too, the municipal
corporation and other government departments had come out with such
charters, but these were later reduced to mere wall hangings.

This
time, Resident Welfare Associations have decided to monitor
implementation. “The revised Citizen’s Charter in itself is an admission
on the part of the GHMC that it did not perform its duty as required,
and now proposes to improve its service delivery.

Citizens
have not demanded this time-frame, but officials themselves have come
out with this. We will give them a fair opportunity to fulfil their
commitment to citizens,” said Federation of United Resident Welfare
Associations of Greater Hyderabad president V.B.J. Rao Chelikani.
Stating that RWAs will support and encourage officials in implementing
the Citizen’s Charter, he said that official machinery should take it as
an opportunity to re-organise themselves and become more accountable to
society.