Order recommends disciplinary action against executive officer for retaliatory ₹33.7-lakh demand notice issued to applicant after she sought commission’s help
The Punjab Transparency and Accountability Commission has penalised Harinder Singh Chahal, the executive officer of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT), ₹10,000 and recommended disciplinary action for failing to issue a no objection certificate (NOC) within the legally mandated timeframe.
The commission, through its May 15 order, also reprimanded the authority for harassing the applicant by slapping her with over ₹33 lakh in “non-construction charges” after she approached the panel for relief, observing that the officer’s conduct reflected negligence, a lack of accountability and utter disregard for the Punjab Transparency and Accountability in Delivery of Public Services Act, 2018.
The matter stems from a complaint filed by Ludhiana resident Saroj Aggarwal against the executive officer over an inordinate delay in issuing an NOC for her property. Aggarwal applied for the notified service on December 8, 2025, but despite the expiry of the mandatory 23-day timeline under the Act, the NOC was neither issued nor was any valid reason for the delay communicated to her.
Taking cognisance, the commission initiated proceedings and summoned LIT officials multiple times. During the hearings, officials informed the panel that a three-member committee had been constituted to examine the issue. However, the commission noted that this committee repeatedly failed to submit a conclusive report despite receiving several opportunities, stating that Chahal had attempted to abdicate his responsibility by forming a committee when the issue could have been resolved simply by verifying official records already available with the department.
{{/usCountry}}Taking cognisance, the commission initiated proceedings and summoned LIT officials multiple times. During the hearings, officials informed the panel that a three-member committee had been constituted to examine the issue. However, the commission noted that this committee repeatedly failed to submit a conclusive report despite receiving several opportunities, stating that Chahal had attempted to abdicate his responsibility by forming a committee when the issue could have been resolved simply by verifying official records already available with the department.
{{/usCountry}}The order said the complainant had actually been issued an NOC for the same property on July 3, 2008, indicating that all necessary conditions had already been fulfilled. The property has long functioned as a residential dwelling unit with regular payments made for electricity and water utilities. Despite these facts, the LIT issued an order on January 6, 2026, demanding non-construction charges amounting to ₹33,70,769 from the complainant.
When contacted, Chahal admitted the fine had been imposed but defended his department’s actions, arguing that it had to collect pending dues and could not simply waive them.
However, the commission termed the department’s move retaliatory, observing that the massive demand notice appeared to have been issued only after the complainant approached it for redressal.
The commission said such conduct defeats the objective of providing citizen-centric services and tarnishes the image of the state government. It pointed out that the designated officer failed to issue an acknowledgement receipt carrying a unique application number, which is strictly mandated under Rule 4(3) of the Punjab Transparency and Accountability Rules, 2021.
Holding the executive officer accountable for the inordinate delay and repeated non-compliance with its directives, the commission imposed the penalty and recommended formal disciplinary proceedings. The panel has directed the LIT to issue the NOC to the complainant immediately, subject only to the payment of any legitimate dues outside of the disputed non-construction charges, while criticising the authorities for failing to specify either the calculation basis or the exact period for which these steep non-construction charges were being levied.