Citizens respond well to seek govt services in Mysore

‘Sakala’, the Karnataka Guarantee of Services to Citizens Act 2011, which came into effect recently, is doing well in Mysore district.

The novel experiment in guaranteeing government services to its citizens launched by the Karnataka government came into force on April 2 all over the state. Initially, it was run as a pilot in some taluks in the state, including Mysore, and was successful.

According to information given at a review meeting on Wednesday, as many as 11,752 applications were received under the provisions of the Act which is presently applicable to 11 departments of the state government. All of them, except 18, have been disposed of within the stipulated time period as per the Act.

Mysore topped the taluks in the district by receiving 6,669 applications, followed by Hunsur where 3,055 persons submitted applications. In Nanjangud 780, T Narasipur 484, Periyapatna 288, H D Kote 256, and K R Nagar 220 people sought scheduled services of the government by submitting applications.

The 18 applications that were not disposed of within the stipulated time period relate to Mysore — 16 of the Mysore City Corporation and two of the Department of Commercial Taxes — and in other six taluks all applications have been cleared within the time schedule, National Informatics Centre officer Devaraj informed the meeting, presided over by Deputy Commissioner P S Vastrad here.

The DC, who reviewed the progress of the implementation of the Act in the district, directed the officials to adhere to the time stipulation in the Act.

The Act “guarantees services to citizens in the state within the stipulated time limit and for matters connected therewith and incidental thereto,” Failing to deliver time-bound citizen-related services entails imposition of compensatory cost of Rs 20 per day subject to a maximum of Rs 500 on defaulting officers, who delay the service.

The 11 departments that have come under the purview of the Act are commercial tax, education, food and civil supplies, health and family welfare, home, labour, revenue, rural development and panchayat raj, transport, urban and women and child welfare.