Rs 9.25 lakh per case: Right to Service panel

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 17

The Haryana Right to Service Commission, constituted a little less than five years ago, has spent Rs 11.18 crore on salaries of staff and its office. During this period, it disposed of 121 of the 129 cases received, costing the state exchequer Rs 9.25 lakh per case.

The commission, in response to an RTI query by Ajay Kumar Bahl of Faridabad, said it was allocated a budget of over Rs 16 crore from 2014-15 to 2018-19 by the state government. It spent more than Rs 4.45 crore on salaries, over Rs 3 lakh on daily wages, Rs 1.28 crore on dearness allowances, Rs 1.55 crore on office expenses, Rs 86 lakh on vehicles, Rs 3.35 lakh on medical reimbursement, over Rs 9 lakh on leave travel concession and Rs 2.25 crore on contractual services.  The total came to Rs 11.18 crore.

The Haryana Right to Service Commission, set up by the state government on July 31, 2014, comprises Chief Commissioner Satish Chander Choudhary and Commissioners  Sarban Singh, Hardeep Singh, Dr Amar Singh and Sunil Katyal. 

Yogesh Kumar Mehta, HCS, is the secretary. 

The commission receives complaints pertaining to 325 services notified by the state government under the Right to Services Act, including driver’s licence, certified copies of mutation, copies of medico-legal reports and issuance of marriage certificate. It can take suo motu notice of failure of any of these services, impose penalty on designated officers up to Rs 20,000 and award compensation up to Rs 5,000.

Explaining the fewer number of cases dealt with, Chief Commissioner Choudhary said they received a complaint only after it had been dealt with by the designated officer and two appellate authorities.