Chandigarh, Dec 17 (PTI) The Punjab Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) Department has chargesheeted three officials and issued show-cause notices to 42 others over alleged dereliction of duty.

According to an official statement issued here on Saturday, the strict action was ordered by Housing and Urban Development Minister Aman Arora.

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Arora said that to ensure the delivery of services to the public on time, the H&UD department has put in place an online mechanism in which applications and files received by the department are being monitored by senior officials and by him personally.

Recently, he personally examined pendency of application at each level and it was found that maximum pendency was at the level of 42 officials across the department, who were issued the showcause notices. Three other officials -- two senior assistants and an assistant estate officer -- have been chargesheeted for not responding to the show-cause notices and dereliction of duty, the minister said.

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Undue delay in clearance of applications leads to harassment and unethical corrupt practices which will not be tolerated at any cost, the minister said.

The 42 officials, who have been issued show-cause notices, include a junior engineer (Civil) of Amritsar Development Authority, four JEs of the Jalandhar Development Authority, a Section Officer (SO) and a Senior Assistant (Accounts) of Bathinda Development Authority.

In the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority, as many as 27 officials including an Estate Officer (Housing), an Estate Officer (Plots), three Assistant Estate Officer, four Superintendent (Estate Office), two Senior Assistant (Accounts), seven clerks, seven Senior Assistant, two JEs (Civil) were issued show cause notices. Arora said that public servants' lackadaisical approach towards work will not be tolerated at any cost.

(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)