In a strict instruction to senior officers, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday said if any official in a district is found to be involved in corrupt or illegal activity then the deputy commissioner and senior superintendent of police of that district will be held responsible.

Mann also announced to open a 'mukh mantri sahayta kendra' (chief minister help centre) in each district to facilitate people in getting their works done in a time-bound manner.

The chief minister on Monday held a meeting with all deputy commissioners of the state here.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Mann said the development works got affected because of the Model Code of Conduct.

He said the Model Code of Conduct remained in force for more than two months due to the Lok Sabha polls.

Mann said that he gave instructions in the meeting to the deputy commissioners to ensure completion of the pending works.

He also gave strict instructions to the deputy commissioners to ensure that no one should face any trouble in getting their works done in the government offices like 'patwari' in a district.

Mann said complaints have been received from some places that corruption was still going on at the lower levels.

"Being the chief minister, I gave strict directions that if any officer demands money or commission for any work and indulges in illegal work in any district then the DC and the SSP will be held responsible for this and on that basis, action will be taken," he said.

Mann said the state government is duty bound to provide transparent, responsive and effective administration to the general public.

The chief minister said a dedicated officer will be sitting at the centre and receiving applications from the general public for getting their routine administrative works done.

The applications pertaining to administrative works within the district will be sent to the concerned department for immediate execution of the work, Mann said, adding the works related to the state government will be sent to his office from where it will be further sent to the administrative departments for their early resolution.

Mann also spoke about setting up a 'chief minister dashboard', saying by using artificial intelligence, he will check whether the government officers sit in their offices and deliver services to the people.

The dashboard will be continuously monitoring the entire activity across the districts along with taking feedback from the general public regarding their applications and pending works, he said.

"My hawkeye will be on all offices so people should not face any problems," he asserted.

Mann said a cluster of villages will be formed so that the pending works of people of villages are done at the government offices on stipulated date, thereby ensuring that people do not have to run from pillar to post for these works.

This will be a revolutionary step as the government will be coming to the doors of people and ensuring that the works of the general public are given prime importance, he said.

The chief minister said the involvement of the MLAs and other public representatives will also be further enhanced in functioning of the state government so that they can get the works of people executed by coordinating with the administration and the offices of the state government.

To a question, Mann said that his government has taken a revolutionary step of providing canal water to the farmers for irrigation purposes during the ongoing paddy season.

He said the main aim is to check the depleting groundwater level by ensuring that farmers utilise the canal water optimally during the season.

Mann further said he will be undertaking an extensive tour to assess preparations to deal with floods at the grass root level ahead of the rainy season.

The chief minister added that he would visit the flood prone areas of the Ghaggar river so that a random check can be made to assess the preparations at the ground level.

To a question on allegations of irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) 2024 exam results, Mann said that it has ruined the career of lakhs of bright students who burnt midnight oil to prepare for this exam.

He said it is shameful that the Centre had denied any irregularities and added that such practices should be checked so that it acts as a deterrent for others in the future.

To another question, Mann said there is no dearth of electricity for any sector in the state. No power cut is being imposed in any sector despite the ongoing peak season, he claimed.

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