Municipal official accused of refusing RTS application, complaint sent to Chandigarh chief secretary

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Chandigarh: A Chandigarh resident, Ajay Jagga, an advocate, has written to the Chief Secretary, Chandigarh Administration, alleging serious administrative misconduct by an official of the Municipal Corporation for refusing to accept an application under the Punjab Right to Service Act, 2011.

In his representation, Jagga said the matter relates to the removal of a dangerous and overgrown tree entangled with the main electricity supply, posing an immediate and continuing risk of electrocution, fire and a major mishap, endangering lives and property. He pointed out that the service falls under Serial No. 6 of a notification issued by the Department of Personnel on December 9, 2025, which categorises removal of dead, dangerous, overgrown or fallen trees as a notified service of the Municipal Corporation with a stipulated delivery period of one day.

The complaint comes against the backdrop of a tragic incident in Chandigarh in July 2022, when a 250-year-old peepal tree collapsed inside the Carmel Convent School campus in Sector 9, killing a Class X student and injuring several others. The girl died after the tree fell on students during recess, highlighting the dangers of ill-maintained trees within school premises and spurring calls for better safety and maintenance practices.

According to Jagga, despite the emergency nature of the situation and the mandatory timeline prescribed under the Right to Service law, the concerned official refused to accept the application. He has alleged that this refusal defeated the very objective of the Act and violated the binding service standards notified by the Chandigarh Administration.

The complaint cites Section 5 of the Right to Service Act, which mandates that a designated officer must, on receipt of an application, either provide the service within the stipulated time or reject the application by recording reasons in writing and intimating the same to the applicant. The refusal to accept the application, he has argued, amounts to a clear violation of the law, as an application can only be rejected through a reasoned and speaking order and cannot be turned away at the outset.

Jagga has further stated that such non acceptance also raises concerns about the maintenance of mandatory service records, which designated officers are required to keep under the Act. He has pointed out that refusal to accept applications also renders the auto appeal mechanism ineffective, since the question of an appeal does not arise unless an application is formally received.

Terming the incident administrative misconduct, the complainant has said that under service rules such inaction amounts to dereliction of duty and behaviour unbecoming of a government servant. The representation also refers to judicial observations that have held refusal to accept or acknowledge applications as unacceptable and high handed conduct.

In his plea, Jagga has sought fixation of responsibility for the alleged misconduct, directions to ensure strict compliance with the Right to Service law in Chandigarh, particularly in public safety matters, and mandatory workshops for Municipal Corporation employees to familiarise them with the Act and recent notifications. He has also sought any other relief deemed fit in the interest of public safety, justice and good governance.