Ludhiana: Inconvenience abounds at suwidha centres - Hindustan Times
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Ludhiana: Inconvenience abounds at suwidha centres

Hindustan Times | By, Ludhiana
May 28, 2015 04:00 PM IST

Although the municipal corporation (MC) claims to provide residents a convenient access to various services at its suwidha centres, people complain that they are forced to visit various MC offices repeatedly to get reports required to apply for a TS-1 certificate.

Although the municipal corporation (MC) claims to provide residents a convenient access to various services at its suwidha centres, people complain that they are forced to visit various MC offices repeatedly to get reports required to apply for a TS-1 certificate.

Not only this, the centre employees allegedly tell the visitors to obtain forms to apply for TS-1, birth or death certificates from touts sitting outside MC offices.

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A TS-1 certificate is required for the sale, purchase or registry of a property. However, to obtain the certificate, residents need to furnish reports on user charges of water supply, sewerage, house tax and property tax.

Residents say when they visit offices of clerks concerned to obtain these reports, they face unnecessary delays.

A 60-year-old person, on the condition of anonymity, said when he went to the suwidha centre at the MC’s Zone-C office to obtain a TS-1 certificate, the staff instructed him to go to an “agent” sitting outside the office to get a form.

He paid Rs 5 to the agent for the form, which should be available for free at the suwidha centre.

The elderly person was then asked to collect reports on user charges of water supply, sewerage and property tax. However, the clerk concerned was not available to provide these reports, he said.

RTI activist Kuldeep Singh Khaira said visitors are forced to visit the MC offices multiple times to get these reports.

“The visitors are facing a lot of harassment. If applicants want a TS-1 certificate, they first have to make several rounds of the offices of clerks concerned to get the reports as the suwidha centre employees don’t accept applications without these reports,” he said.

Khaira said the centre staff should get the reports directly from clerks concerned if the MC intends to provide “suvidha” to residents.

“Clerks don’t provide the reports until the applicant greases their palms or approaches any high-up,” he said.

Davinder Singh, a resident, said: “It is the duty of the MC authorities to check the reports and let it be known to applicants whether they are eligible to get the TS-1 certificate or not.

If a person has not paid user charges, the suwidha centre staff can inform that person to pay these.”

The residents also demanded that forms should be available at the suwidha centers so that they are not forced to meet touts.

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