The Indian Express            24.10.2013

Poor service at CFCs prompts PMC to rope in new agency

With complaints of poor service at Citizen Facilitation Centre rising
by the day, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has roped in a new
agency to provide various civic services at the 26 centres across the
city.

The civic body had set up CFCs to ensure citizens do not have to
make rounds of civic offices to file complaints, pay property tax,
procure birth and death certificate and renew licences. These services
are being provided at CFCs set up at 15 ward offices, PMC main building
and 10 various locations in 23 merged villages.

There are five counters at each CFC besides one for inquiry.

“Earlier, the agency was charging Rs 38 from the civic body for
each transaction at CFC. Now, the new agency will charge only Rs 24 for
each transaction,” said Vishal Tambe, Chairperson, PMC Standing
Committee.

Meanwhile, the civic administration has failed to discontinue the
contract with another agency that has been running kiosks to offer
civic services at 67 spots across the city. For the past five years, the
civic body has been paying Rs 14,700 per kiosk every month to the
agency but it is hardly of any use as they offer only a few services.

A visit to some of these kiosks revealed that they only collect
property tax cheques even as boards display a list of facilities
available.