BHUBANESWAR: In a bid to ensure transparency in service delivery, the Odisha government on Saturday warned of stern legal action for any offline payment done for services available under its online urban service delivery platform ‘Sujog’.
Reviewing the implementation of the service delivery mechanism under Sujog, Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) secretary G Mathivathanan said offline payment done for any service available under the platform, developed under 5T initiative of the state government, will be treated as a criminal offence. He said the platform offers multiple options for online payment including payment through M-POS machines and integration with other digi-payment platforms.
At present, seven urban services including Building Plan Approval, Trade License, Property Tax Collection and Assessment, Water and Sewerage Tax Collection and Assessment, Marriage Registration Certificate, Finance & Accounting and Public Grievance Redressal System are being provided under Sujog across the state.
Mathivathanan asked officials to ensure hassle-free delivery of services under the platform and directed all Development Authorities, urban local bodies, WATCO and PHEO to immediately stop receipt of offline applications and payments forthwith. The heads of all urban agencies concerned were also asked to withdraw the receipt books from field officials and cancel all unused leaves to prevent any misuse.
Besides, they were also asked to submit a certificate every month declaring termination of receipt of offline applications and payments for all the services available under Sujog. “Any deviation from the directive will be treated as a criminal offence,” Mathivathanan warned.