Chandigarh, Mar 23 (PTI) Punjab Chief Secretary KAP Sinha has issued a strong directive to all departments, seeking detailed information on pending applications related to citizen services.

In a letter, Sinha said delays in processing applications for various public services were a major source of corruption in governance.

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He warned that if the information sought was not received by 11 am on March 26, it would be presumed that the officers, including the department secretary concerned, were deliberately suppressing the data and promoting corrupt practices.

In such cases, the government will be compelled to suspend the responsible officers and initiate strict disciplinary action, including major penalty proceedings, he added.

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In a related development, AAP's Punjab unit issued a statement on Sunday, saying the state government under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was continuing its commitment to good governance and citizen-centric administration by cracking down on delays and inefficiencies that fostered corruption.

AAP leader Neel Garg praised the chief secretary's initiative as a testament to the Punjab government's active model of governance and its dedication to efficiently serving the public.

He emphasised that Mann's government was leaving no stone unturned in ensuring justice and transparency for the people of Punjab.

"This proactive approach by the Punjab government demonstrates our zero-tolerance policy towards corruption. Every citizen has the right to timely and transparent services, and any attempt to deny this will be met with strict action," Garg said.

"We are committed to holding our administration accountable to the people it serves," he further said.

The public has full confidence in the AAP government's efforts to create a corruption-free system and ensure efficient delivery of citizen services, he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)