Services at Phagwara Sewa Kendra halted due to technical glitches
Essential services at the Phagwara Sewa Kendra have come to a standstill due to technical glitches in the online portal. The problem has persisted for at least 10 days, causing inconvenience to hundreds of people who visit the office every day to obtain certificates and documents related to marriage, domicile, caste, property, and economic status.
Advocate highlights public hardship
Addressing mediapersons, advocate Rohit Sharma, vice-president of the Phagwara Bar Association, said he personally witnessed the hardships faced by the public. He said that on June 23, several young women from Punjab, around 18 years of age, were seen in tears after failing to get their essential documents attested by the Phagwara Tehsildar.
Despite spending entire days at the centre for nearly a week, they could not complete the formalities as the online system remained non-functional. Consequently, the deadline for submitting their documents expired on June 23. Sharma said he had brought the matter to the notice of the authorities concerned.
Officials informed, assurance given
Sharma said he informed Vinay Bublani, Divisional Commissioner, Patiala Range, who also holds the additional charge of the Divisional Commissioner, Jalandhar; and Vishesh Sarangal, Special Secretary and Director, Department of Good Governance and Information Technology, Punjab, about the issue. According to Sharma, both officials assured him that the problem would be rectified within a week.
He alleged that repeated attempts to contact the Kapurthala Deputy Commissioner and the Phagwara Additional Deputy Commissioner did not receive any response. A memorandum highlighting the difficulties faced by the public was also submitted to the newly appointed Phagwara SDM, Navjot Sharma.
Memorandum urges manual mode for services
The memorandum urged the administration to immediately resume essential services in manual mode until the online portal becomes fully operational. Phagwara SDM Navjot Sharma said the issue had been raised at the appropriate forum. “The timely delivery of citizen-centric services is our priority,” the SDM said.
