To ensure smooth functioning of Sanjh Kendras in the State, Punjab would soon have a separate cadre for the community policing. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal on Monday directed the Principal Secretary, Home, to create a separate cadre for community policing while presiding over a review meeting on functioning of Sanjh Kendras and governance reforms.
“It is essential to have a separate cadre for community policing as frequent transfers and change of personnel disrupted smooth functioning of Kendras. Once the new cadre is formed, personnel posted in it would not be able to seek transfers to others wings of the police department,” said Sukhbir while directing that this new cadre be constituted within a fortnight.
Getting feedback from the officials of the IT department as well as ADGP and in-charge of Sanjh Kendra project SK Sharma, Sukhbir directed that a special task force be constituted under the chairmanship of chief secretary Sarvesh Kaushal to integrate delivery model of all 149 services given by the Kendras.
This was done after feedback that due to multiplicity of departments, there was sometimes delay in delivery of said services.
Sukhbir also directed that Governance Reforms Commission chairman Dr Pramod Kumar would be a permanent member of this committee, which would review the present delivery model, and also suggest ways and means to improve it further.
It was also decided to digitize all back-end information to make work of Sanjh Kendras easier and more efficient. Principal Secretary Governance Reforms C Raul said that a leading company could be engaged to collate this data. Sukhbir, while assuring all financial support to this project, announced that this should be made the number one priority of the government.
It was also decided that all five Municipal Corporations in the state would have special well-equipped Sanjh Kendras with designated complaint centres. “Existing Suvidha Kendras would be revamped and designated Suvidha Officers would be empowered to issue required documents or certificates there and then in order to streamlining the functioning of the Suvidha Kendras,” said Sukhbir.
He also announced formation of Sanjh Committees under Sanjh Kendras to empower citizens to get their disputes resolved immediately without any delay and without police intervention. As many as 17,744 cases pertaining to women, children, economic and social problems were solved by Sanjh Kendras during the current year.
Referring to proper implementation of 147 citizen centric services under governance reforms, Sukhbir said that that data of all departments would be digitalized by the end of December so that smooth delivery of 147 citizen-centric services could be ensured under Right to Services Act. Principal Secretary to Deputy Chief Minister PS Aujla would coordinate on the digitalization front to ensure timely completion of the task.