E-Paper
Urban local bodies in Punjab to adopt e-Nigam, to go paperless
Director of the local government department Uma Shankar Gupta said that the project aims to make the agendas of general houses of all ULBs and their approval online.
The state government has initiated a digital project under which over 130 urban local bodies (ULBs) will shift to the paperless mode.
Director of the local government department Uma Shankar Gupta said that the project aims to make the agendas of general houses of all ULBs and their approval online.
“A pilot project was adopted first by the Mohali municipal corporation and then it was implemented in Pathankot and Patiala. Under the project, all the files will be moved from the ULBs to the directorate electronically from the municipal offices. It will ensure transparency and accountability,” said Gupta.
Punjab has a total of 138 ULBs, including 10 Municipal Corporations, 98 municipal councils and 30 improvement trusts across 23 districts.
The director said the Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Company (PMIDC), an organ of the state government’s local government department, is implementing the e-Nigam, also known as the Digital MC General House portal.
A team of experts from the National Informatics Centre (NIC) is conducting training sessions for officials of the civic bodies, and 13 nodal officers at the various municipalities have already been trained. Officials said that chief engineer Naresh Batta has been appointed as the nodal officer at the state level for effective implementation.
Bathinda municipal commissioner Rahul said that the digital mode would work along the lines of the functioning of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. However, there is no clarity yet if the councillors would be made conversant with the new technology initiative of administration, said the commissioner.
“Presently, the files are sent to the headquarters for approval through WhatsApp. However, after the implementation of the e-Nigam portal, the files regarding the projects, tender process, etc, would be approved online. It will save time and human resources will promote transparency,” he added.
