As many as 144 ex-servicemen have been deployed as supervisors across Punjab to strengthen civic grievance redressal, with officials claiming the initiative has significantly improved monitoring and follow-up of public complaints.
Roles and Responsibilities
The supervisors, all retired defence personnel, including Subedars and Honorary Captains, conduct daily field inspections, identify civic issues and ensure complaints are pursued until they are resolved. According to Charanbir Singh, a former Indian Navy Captain and Deputy General Manager (DGM) of the Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Company (PMIDC), the supervisors are all senior and experienced ex-servicemen.
“Our role goes beyond simply lodging complaints. We don’t just report issues, we monitor them continuously until they are resolved. People have also started approaching us directly because they believe ‘Fauji Sahib’ will get the work done. That trust has strengthened public confidence in the system,” Singh said.
Daily Operations and Impact
Supervisor Kulwant Singh, who oversees the north zone, said each day begins with online attendance before supervisors head to their assigned areas according to a schedule prepared by the DGM. “We cover as many wards as possible in a day. We identify civic issues and report them to the Chandigarh head office as well as the Municipal Corporation office concerned. The departments concerned then take action to resolve the problems,” he said.
Kulwant noted that sanitation had improved considerably over the past year. “There has been a major improvement in one year. Earlier, there were around 100 secondary garbage collection points, but many have now been eliminated. Whenever we identify an issue, we upload it on the m-Sewa app. If it is not resolved, we continue following it up until action is taken,” he said.
Public Participation and Common Complaints
Despite improvements in civic infrastructure, the supervisors said public participation remains essential. “Many people are still unaware of proper waste disposal practices. We encourage residents to hand over their waste directly to collection vehicles instead of dumping it in the open. Greater public awareness is needed,” Kulwant said.
Supervisor Ashwani Kumar, who oversees the central area, said the most common complaints received during field visits relate to garbage accumulation, overflowing sewage, open or damaged manholes and potholes.
Pre-Monsoon Preparedness
Charanbir Singh said the supervisors also played a key role in the state’s pre-monsoon preparedness drive. “As part of the pre-monsoon activities, supervisors conducted extensive field surveys. During the exercise, we identified nearly 1,400 locations with open or damaged manholes. The departments concerned have been taking corrective action, and the work is progressing steadily,” he said.
According to officials, the initiative is aimed at strengthening accountability, improving coordination between municipal bodies and the government, and ensuring faster resolution of civic grievances through continuous on-ground monitoring by trained ex-servicemen.
