District collectors become 'controlling officers' for RTS implementation

The state government has made district collectors as "controlling officers" for implementation of the Right To Services (RTS) Act. A government resolution regarding the same was issued by the state government.

The move will entail that on a monthly basis, the district collector will have to take a meeting with officers of all departments to take a stock of the implementation of the RTS Act. Earlier the state government had said that they would be nodal officers. The move will also allow citizens to check with collector office on where the implementation of the Act is headed.

"It was our demand that collectors be controlling officers and not nodal officers. It is a major step and will help in the vigorous implementation of the right to services. As a nodal officer, the job is mainly of coordination but does not give as much power. Now, except for the services with municipal corporation because the municipal commissioners are very senior in rank, all the services that are with the departments of the state government and and officers in charge of providing the same will be reporting to him on a monthly basis on the services given and functioning of the right to services Act," said Swadheen Kshatriya, chief of right to services commission.

The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. "He was in agreement that the collectors should be made controlling officers to ensure that implementation is better," said Kshatriya.

Besides the collector, there will be also a follow-up by the divisional commissioners. "The divisional collectors too will be taking a stock of the situation on this. A follow-up meeting will be taken by the commission also on the way the Act is being implemented," said Kshatriya.