Strict Action Taken Against Revenue Department Officer Over Negligence in Public Complaint Redressal: APS to CM Saket Kumar
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, May 22, 2025 – Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Dr. Saket Kumar has ordered the issuance of a displeasure note to a senior officer of the Revenue Department for negligence in resolving public complaints registered on the Jan Samvad portal, CM Window, and Social Media Grievances Tracker (SMGT).
Taking serious note of the backlog, Dr. Kumar also directed the Revenue Department's SMGT Nodal Officer to submit a written explanation for the failure to resolve long-pending grievances. The review found a significant number of unresolved cases at both the headquarters and district levels, with no effective monitoring or regular follow-ups in place. Dr. Kumar announced that a separate and detailed review meeting of the Revenue Department will be held soon to address these issues.
During the review meeting held late last evening, chaired by Dr. Kumar, public complaints from the Irrigation, Water Resources, and Revenue Departments were examined in detail. It was revealed that 745 cases from the Irrigation and Water Resources Department remain pending on the Jan Samvad portal. A clarification has been sought from the Chief Engineer (CEBWS) of the department.
Additionally, officers from the Ambala and Yamunanagar Circles of the Irrigation Department were strictly warned to expedite the resolution of complaints in their respective districts. Issues related to construction and repair of canals, drains, bridges, water supply to ponds, village waterworks, and flood control were also discussed at length.
Dr. Kumar emphasized that all complaints must be resolved promptly and transparently, in line with Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini’s directive to ensure timely delivery of services to the public. He stressed that any form of negligence will not be tolerated.
Officer on Special Duty to the CM, Vivek Kalia, along with Rakesh Sandhu, were present during the meeting. Kalia shared that all pending complaints on Jan Samvad, CM Window, and SMGT were thoroughly reviewed and real-time updates were sought directly from concerned officers. In many cases, officers were contacted over the phone for immediate responses on unresolved matters.
The latest action follows a similar review meeting held last week, in which the Additional Principal Secretary had directed the CRID and Urban Local Bodies Department to ensure swift disposal of complaints. That review led to disciplinary action against a superintending engineer, registration of an FIR in one case, and a vigilance inquiry in another.
Reiterating the government’s zero-tolerance approach, Dr. Kumar said that departments must work in mission mode to address citizen grievances effectively, with complete accountability at every level.