The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) today launched its time-bound service disposal scheme, a day ahead of schedule, by issuing a birth certificate on the day it was applied for.

Delhi Mayor Rajni Abbi formally launched the e-Service Level Agreements (e-SLA) in MCD by issuing birth certificate to a citizen on the very first day of the specified time-frame of seven days in the Citizen Service Bureau in Civil Lines Zone.

The MCD has, thereby, become the first body in the capital city to implement e-SLAs. The service was scheduled to be launched from tomorrow.

From now, if an MCD official sits on your application for a birth certificate for more than seven days or for booking of a park for more than a day, he will have to pay a penalty.

The MCD has announced that six services -- issuance of birth and death certificates, health trade licence, park booking, community hall booking, general trade licence and factory licence -- will have to be delivered in a time-frame, failing which officials are liable to penalty.

The e-Service Level Agreement is being implemented in MCD under 'The Delhi (Right of Citizen to Time Bound Delivery of Services) Act, 2011'.

Abbi said the e-SLA service has come into effect in the Corporation a day before it was scheduled as the civic body intends to deliver services to citizens as soon as possible.

She said the new service will be popularised across the capital through signboards, kiosks and advertisements, etc.

With the implementation of the e-SLA, Abbi said, if the service is not provided within the specified time-frame, a citizen is entitled to seek a compensatory cost for delay at the rate of Rs 10 per day subject to a maximum of Rs 200.

According to the e-SLAs, the official has to take a decision in one day about applications for park and community hall bookings while a decision has to be taken within 60 days for health trade, general trade and factory licence.

MCD would launch disciplinary proceedings against those found to be habitually defaulting or failing in delivery of service.

"If the employee is found in habitual practice of delaying the work, disciplinary action will be taken against him which may include his dismissal," she said.

The e-SLA empowers the citizen to monitor the status of any application by logging on to the MCD website and after entering the transaction ID number of the application.

"If the service is not provided within the specified time-frame, the citizen is entitled to seek a compensatory cost for each day of delay -- at the rate of Rs 10 per day subject to a maximum of Rs 200 per application -- which shall be payable by the 'Competent Officer' appointed under the Act.

"The power to recover such amount from the defaulting MCD official in respect of each such service also rests with the respective 'competent officer'. But before ordering the recovery, the 'competent officer' will follow a procedure as prescribed in the Act and which includes providing to the defaulting Municipal official notice and opportunity of being heard, consistent with the principles of natural justice," a senior MCD official said.