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.