Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has proposed new Revenue and Municipal Acts and Telangana Urban Policy to stamp out corruption in the system and extend hassle-free services to people and instructed the officials to work on it.
The Chief Minister said an effective official system would be established led by the District Collector or the District Administrative Officer assisted by Additional Collectors or Additional District Administrative Officers. This team would be responsible for sanctioning layouts and assessment of properties, mutation and other regulated services.
‘No slackness’
There should be no slackness in sanctioning permissions and issue of certificates. The official machinery should be accountable to people and there should be a provision to impose fine on those who were slack, the Chief Minister said and wanted all these provisions to be incorporated in the new Municipal Act.
He also mooted the concept of Telangana State Administrative Service on the lines of the Indian Administrative Service. The Collector’s nomenclature came into vogue when there was land revenue collection as well as collection of water cess. In the changed circumstances, the Chief Minister asked, should one continue with the word ‘Collector’ or change it to “District Administrative Officer’?
Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao held a high-level review meeting at Pragathi Bhavan here on Friday on formulation of new Revenue Act and new Municipal Act. The meeting was attended by senior officials from various departments and the Chief Minister’s Office. The Chief Minister said he was receiving complaints every day from people that they were not able to get any work done without paying bribe.
Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao said Zilla Parishads and Mandal Parishads should have clarity about their roles and responsibilities. By creating new divisions, mandals, municipalities and village panchayats, the State government brought in administrative reforms. The objective of these reforms would be fulfilled only when the revenue and municipal offices functioned efficiently without demanding bribes from people.
He said a five/six-member official team would be created at the district level under the leadership of Collector or District Administrative Officer. The officers would be allocated certain departments exclusively. Every important work at the district level would have to be handled and supervised by this team under the leadership of an IAS officer who would be responsible to implement government schemes, provide services to people smoothly and initiate steps against those who indulge in corruption and dereliction of duty.
At state level
At the state level, an official mechanism was needed comprising important senior officers under the leadership of Chief Secretary. Additional Chief Secretaries would be appointed and they would be given different departments. The work of the team at the district level should be monitored by the Chief Secretary, said the Chief Minister.
In the wake of rapid growth of urban population in the State, Telangana Urban Policy should be drafted to address the needs of people in towns and cities. A special policy would be drafted for Greater Hyderabad governed by the GHMC and the HMDA.