Soon, babus will pay for delay in service

Have you been waiting endlessly to receive your driving licence despite completing all the formalities? Help is soon coming your way in the form of a Right to Citizen (Time-bound Delivery of Services) Bill. Neelam Pandey reports.

Have you been waiting endlessly to receive your driving licence despite completing all the formalities? Help is soon coming your way in the form of a Right to Citizen (Time-bound Delivery of Services) Bill.

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The Bill proposes to penalise Delhi government officials anything from Rs 10 to Rs 200 per day for delays in providing services to residents of the Capital.

The Bill, to be tabled in the assembly next week, will fix accountability of officials and penalise those responsible for delays beyond the time limits specified for different services in the proposed legislation.

It will cover the four key departments of transport, food and supplies, revenue, trade and taxes and the two civic bodies - the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the New Delhi Municipal Council.

The time limit ranges from the same working day to a maximum 45 working days. For instance, a learner's driving licence has to be issued the same day and a permanent driving licence or renewal of a licence should take just 24 working hours.

For birth and death certificates issued by the MCD or NDMC, the deadline is seven days. Ration cards will have to be issued within 45 days and all kinds of identification cards within 21 days.