IEP Chandigarh, April 3
Haryana Right to Service Commission has imposed a penalty of Rs. 60,000 (Rs. 20,000 each in 3 cases) on Sh. Balram Singh, erstwhile Mining Officer, Faridabad who had been delaying cases inordinately.
Giving more information in this regard, RTS Secretary informed that the Commission observed that in few cases delay was evident in the delivery of Mineral Dealer Licence, notified service under the Haryana Right to Service Act, 2014 as observed in the monthly performance reports for the months of February and March, 2022 of the Mines and Geology Department.
Taking cognizance of the matter, the Commission called for an immediate inquiry and issued a suo moto notice to the Director, Mines and Geology Department to share the status report on these cases .
He said that the delivery of the Mineral Dealer License is under the notified service which should be delivered to the applicant within the timeline of 45 working days. However, in certain cases applications were found pending for more than a period of over one year as well.
He further stated that three such cases were found pending with Mining Officer, Faridabad for more than a year despite the MO being furnished show cause notices. The facts discovered during the probe indicates the lapse on the part of Sh. Balram Singh, who held the charge of MO Faridabad till February, 2023 is highly inordinate. The allegations were ratified by Director, Mines and Geology as well.
The RTS Secretary said that considering all the facts observed during the inquiry the commission decided to impose a penalty of Rs. 60,000/- (Rs. 20,000 each in 3 cases) on MO, Sh. Balram Singh.
The Commission, while expressing its extreme displeasure at the supervisory role being played by the Department HQ. Director, Mines and Geology instructed that in future, the Commission intends to penalise the Designated Officer for such delays. They should ensure clear SOPs for each level for dealing with such cases and robust monitoring on their part. The HQ officials managing specific districts should also be made to act more diligently towards their responsibilities.
He added that the Commission will continue to take stringent action against officers/officials taking laxity in their approach towards public work.
