'One State-One Portal' to bring all ULB services under one canopy: CM Sukhu

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu directed to implement 'One State-One Portal' digi-system which will bring together all the Urban Local Bodies Services online and stressed on the importance of providing all the services online to minimize the footfall in the offices.

CM Sukhu was presiding over the meeting of the Urban Development Department here on Tuesday.

The Chief Minister directed to make all the essential services like property tax, bill payments, notices, all types of NOCs and permissions online, which would not only facilitate the people in getting prompt services but also help to play down the corruption within the system. He said that the calculation and collection of property tax in all the ULBs would be conducted through an online platform.

CM Sukhu said, "To further streamline the operations, fully automated online buildings permission is being developed with the assistance of the Department of Digital Technology and Governance for all the 61 ULBs, 35 notified SADA and 56 Planning Areas in the state. This would enable real-time scrutiny of building drawings through auto scrutiny features, ensuring efficiency and accuracy in the approval process."

"The new system will facilitate the uploading of applications and documents, enabling the issuance of permissions and notices through this system," he said.

He stressed the importance of raising objections only once and discontinuing the practice of applying objections time and again. Additionally, he directed to adopt digital technology in account keeping, to further modernize the functioning of ULBs. He said that incorporating modern technology and streamlining the services across ULBs and government departments demonstrate a commitment to efficient governance and citizen-centric service delivery.

During the meeting, CM Sukhu also reviewed the current water supply scarcity issue in the areas falling under Shimla Municipal Corporation and directed to take immediate action to restore the water supply schemes affected by the floods and in-situ treatment of turbidity. Directions were issued to construct a dam on the Giri River to address the problem of silting and said the design of the dam would be prepared by the Power Corporation. He also directed to repair the water tank in Seog having nine MLD water storage capacity. He said that these steps would alleviate the water supply problem in Shimla town.

Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh, Principal Advisor to Chief Minister (IT and Innovation) Gokul Butail, Mayor, Shimla Municipal Corporation, Surender Chauhan, Deputy Mayor, Uma Kaushal, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Bharat Khera, Principal Secretary Urban Development, Devesh Kumar, Secretary Director Digital Technology and Governance, Dr Abhishek Jain, OSD to Chief Minister, Gopal Sharma, Principal Private Secretary to Chief Minister, Vivek Bhatia, Director Urban Development, Kamal Kant Saroch, Director Digital Technology and Governance, Mukesh Repaswal and other senior officers also attended the meeting.