TUR demands govt to take public views before passing MRPS Bill

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaNovember 2, 2020

The Thma U Rangli-Juki (TUR) on Monday demanded the state government to place the proposed Meghalaya Rights to Public Services (MRPS) Bill, 2020 in public domain for citizens to make suggestions before passing it in the upcoming autumn session of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, which will commence from November 5.

In a statement, TUR leader Angela Rangad said it is shocking that the government has not involved the citizens in framing of this important law through a proper pre-legislative consultation.

“Pre-legislative consultation is important because the framing of this law which is meant to make bureaucratic action responsive and timebound cannot be left to the bureaucratic class alone,” she asserted.  

In view of this, she informed that the TUR has submitted a memorandum to the chief minister, Conrad K Sangma for necessary intervention into the matter.

“TUR demands that the government rather than rushing a Meghalaya Rights to Public Services Bill, 2020, should place the bill in the public domain for citizens to make suggestions and then legislate the bill,” Rangad said.

She further reminded that TUR had submitted a people’s draft of a similar law in 2013 to the government called The Right of Citizens for Grievance Redress and Service Guarantee in Meghalaya Bill, 2013, to create a framework for a citizen friendly law.

“Our draft bill was wider in scope than mere Right to Public Service Delivery and was conceived also for grievance redressal.Merely a Rights to Public Service law will only allow a citizen, a right to time bound service, our bill proposed that every citizen’s grievance had to be heard,” Rangad stated.

She said TUR had also proposed an independent District Level Grievance Commission to adjudicate on matters of penalty and compensation.

Also apart from filing a complaint with Grievance Redressal Officer in Public Authority, a citizen could also file his/her complaint with Block Level single window Facilitation Centres, she said.

Moreover, she said any law of this nature has to dovetail with the existing transparency and anti-corruption laws like Right To Information Act, Meghalaya Lokayukta Act and Meghalaya Social Audit Act.