Chandigarh, January 10 – The Haryana Right to Service (RTS) Commission has taken strict notice of civic apathy and poor quality of infrastructure at Topiary Park, Sector 6 in Panchkula. The Commission has ordered strict action along with penalties on officials for negligence in work.
While giving this information here today, a spokesperson of the Commission said the action has been ordered after a field visit to the park was conducted by Sh. TC Gupta, Chief Commissioner of the Haryana Right to Service Commission and Sh. Jinson George Chacko, Consultant from the Commission along with other senior officers of various departments.
The team observed that the EPDM path in the park was laid only recently and despite having a 3 year warranty and constructed by importing the material, it got damaged within few months of its construction clearly indicating non-supervision during construction and possible corruption. It was ascertained that Sh. Ashok Rana, SE, Electrical, HSVP who was holding the charge of SE, Horticulture got this work executed and, therefore, CA, HSVP has been told to conduct an inquiry into it, fix responsibility for this lapse and send a report to the Commission by January 31, 2025. Since maintenance of park is a notified service, the construction of a substandard of EPDM path by spending public money amounts to non- maintenance of park and, therefore, the Commission will consider imposition of penalty on the concerned under whose supervision this EPDM path was laid.
The CA, HSVP, has been advised to identify the XEN responsible for installing the rainwater harvesting structure near the fountain which is of no use keeping in mind the topography of the park. He may consider recovering the amount of infructuous expenditure spent on its construction from him by issuing a chargesheet, the Commission said.
Regarding stormwater drainage, the SDE (Civil), MC, Panchkula, has been directed to ascertain whether a stormwater drainage system exists in front of the Gymkhana Club. Additionally, the SDE must provide details of any cleaning performed on the drainage system over the past two years (from October 2022 to October 2024), along with supporting documentation to substantiate the claims. The Commission directed XEN, Panchkula Metropolitan Development Authority (PMDA) to prepare a comprehensive stormwater drainage plan first to ensure that the water from outside does not enter the park and secondly to ensure that rain water in the park accumulates at places where rain water harvest structure has been put in place so that it can get discharged quickly.
The Chief Commissioner observed that the washrooms were in a dilapidated state and unfit for public use. In additional to general maintenance and cleanliness issues, the flush was found to be non-functional. The XEN (Horticulture), HSVP, has been directed to ensure their cleaning and provide photographs as proof after the cleaning. Further, under the powers conferred by Section 17(1)(h) of the Haryana Right to Service Act, 2014, the Commission has imposed a penalty of Rs. 2,500 for each washroom i.e. total amount of Rs. 5,000 to be deducted from the salary of the concerned XEN, SDE, or other responsible officials. XEN (Horticulture), PMDA is requested to conduct an inquiry and send a report to the Commission in this regard by January 17, 2025.
It was also complained by many residents that the park’s musical system was being operated at the whims and fancies of the operator. In this regard, the XEN, PMDA has been advised to identify the person and display his name on the notice board in the park along with names of other officials responsible for maintenance of the park.
The Commission observed that Sh. Hardeep Malik, Advisor, Green Planning, PMDA had conducted various inspections of the park and issued inspection notes. It is clear from these inspection notes that the park is not being maintained properly rendering the concerned Designated Officer i.e. the SDE, responsible for non-maintenance of the park under the provisions of the Haryana Right to Service Act, 2014 (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Act’). Therefore, the Commission, in exercise of its powers vested in it under Section 17(1)(h) of the Act, imposed a token penalty of Rs. 5,000 on Sh. Ram Kumar, DO-cum-SDE (Civil), PMDA. The CEO, PMDA has been requested to ensure the deduction of this amount from his salary of January, 2025 to be paid in February, 2025 and deposit the same in the State Treasury.
The Commission further said that all-round lapses have been observed in the maintenance of this park. The Commission is not satisfied with the performance of duties by the FGRA-cum-XEN and SGRA-cum-SE. Therefore, notices under Regulation 10 of the Haryana Right to Service Commission (Management) Regulations, 2015 have been issued to Sh. N.K. Payal, XEN, PMDA and Sh. Rajiv Sharma, SE, PMDA, to explain why disciplinary action should be not recommended against them. They have been directed to send replies in this regard by January 20, 2025.