Mysore set to guarantee its denizens govt services

Mysore is gearing up to launch Karnataka Government’s recently-passed legislation guaranteeing its service to citizens. “All preparations are being made to give effect to the act in Mysore district,” Deputy Commissioner P S Vastrad said.

“The Administrative Training Institute, Mysore, has imparted training to officials of all the departments concerned with all the required inputs,” he said in a release. He also stated that separate arrangements were being made to receive applications from the public and the process has been computerised. Applicants seeking services under the Act should apply in the prescribed forms with necessary documents.

The Karnataka Guarantee of Services to Citizens Act 2011 comes into effect on April 2. The bill, which will be initially applicable to 11 departments of the state government, “guarantees services to citizens in the state within the stipulated time and for matters connected therewith and incidental thereto”.

The ambitious legislation has come into force after it was successfully experimented as a pilot project in some taluks in the state.

The 11 departments which will 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.

Five services in the Mysore City Corporation, municipalities and town panchayats under urban development department; nine services of the offices of the regional transport authority under the transport department; four services of the offices of the food department including taluk offices; and 13 services of the police department under home department are covered under the Act in Mysore district.

Six services in the offices of pre-university education and commissioner of education under education department; four services under health and family welfare; five in drug control; and three in Ayush department under the health and family welfare department; 10 services of gram panchayats under rural development and panchayat raj department; and 10 services of commercial tax offices under commercial tax department also fall under the legislation.

Also covered are 13 services in the labour department offices, one service of dispensary, three services of hospital one service of directorate level, and seven services of the offices of factories, boilers; industrial safety and health under labour department; besides one service in women and child welfare offices of the women and child welfare department.

Under the Act, officers are appointed by the government to redress grievances in the delivery of service and impose compensatory cost of Rs 20 per day subject to a maximum of Rs 500 on defaulting officers, who delay the service. The Act, which is similar to the Right to Information Act, also provides an appellate authority. The status of application can be tracked on the GSC website www.kgsc.kar.nic.in by providing the GSC number.