The Rajasthan government on Tuesday came issued guidelines for proper implementation of the Right to Hearing Act in the state. The guidelines will come into force in all districts by April 20.
The state had crafted the unique Right to Hearing Act in August last year but except for Rajsamand district, the Act was not implemented in most parts of the state. In Rajsamand, the district administration along with Aruna Roy-led Mazdoor Kishan Shakti Sangathan ( MKSS) came out with innovative methods for implementing the Act there.
“This is a big achievement for the state. Now no one will have to wait outside the gram panchayat for registering his complaint. Complaints would be registered on all days and heard after 5 working days. We have not only retained the Rajsamand model for the implementation of the Act but have bettered it in quite a few ways,” says Banna Lal, director, public services department.
The RTH Act aims to ensure that all complaints of the common man with regard to governance are addressed and disposed in a time-bound manner. This Act is aimed at strengthening the Rajasthan Guaranteed Delivery of Public Services Act which was implemented in November 2011.
The Act laid down provisions for appointing public hearing officers, appellate authorities at gram panchayat, tehsil, sub-block, district and division levels, provisions for information and facilitation, and a time-bound disposal of complaints. However, it did not provide any practical way for implementing it till it was tried on a pilot basis at Rajsamand district.
Three simple steps will carry forward the Act for ensuring transparency and accountability. First, creating a single window at the Rajiv Gandhi Seva Kendras (rechristened as Public Hearing Assistance booth) in every gram panchayat. Second, rozgar sahayaks at every panchayat or some other suitable person appointed by the district collector for accepting grievances and applications from people everyday between 10 am to 12 noon. Thirdly, no complaint can be refused.
After receiving a complaint, a unique registration number will be given to the complainant in a receipt that will also have the date when the complaint is to be heard, the officer hearing it and the place for hearing. The receipt will be in three counter foils of red (for the complainant), yellow (for the concerned department) and white for the office of the assistance booth.
At the gram panchayat, the complaints will have to be transferred to the concerned official on the next working day while at the sub-division/tehsil level it will have to be done by the next Monday. Hearings will be done at the panchayat samiti level, tehsil level and the district level every Friday between 12 noon to 3 pm. During hearings, officers have been instructed to provide respite to the complainant under some scheme and any refusal will have to be given in writing.
src: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Raj-govt-issues-guidelines-for-Right-to-Hearing-to-be-effective-from-April-20/articleshow/19485996.cms