Pune: Repeated complaints from citizens regarding delay in collection of documents owing to server failures and poor internet connectivity at Aaple Sarkar Seva Kendras have prompted the state IT department to seek a final tally of compliant and non-compliant centres from all district collectors by Sept 30. Collectors have been asked to act against centres that fail to meet the prescribed standards, including initiation of licence cancellation proceedings against operators who do not rectify deficiencies.Of the state’s 32,577 total active kendras, only 12,254 have so far claimed complete compliance, while 18,418 centres self-reported as having complied with the rules.“I made several trips to get my documents, but the server kept showing errors. It is frustrating when you have all the papers but cannot get the service because the system is not working,” said a citizen who recently visited an Aaple Sarkar centre.“We are sent back because of server problems and have to keep coming again. The centres need to ensure that the basic services work before asking citizens to return,” said another applicant.The state electronics, IT and AI department issued a June 23 govt resolution laying down uniform standards for infrastructure, accessibility, branding, monitoring and service delivery. Officials told TOI that collectors will have to inspect centres at least once every six months and initiate cancellation proceedings against operators who fail to rectify deficiencies despite being given an opportunity.The govt will also introduce a citizen feedback mechanism through IVRS, AI-based voice agents and operator-assisted calls. Feedback will be analysed and incorporated into grading and performance assessment, with persistent negative feedback potentially triggering corrective or disciplinary action, senior IT department officials said.Under the new framework, every centre must operate from a permanent premises of at least 100 sq ft, have uninterrupted power with backup and functional computer/laptop, printer, scanner, biometric device and webcam. Rural centres must have internet speeds of at least 10 Mbps, while urban centres must provide 20 Mbps. Adequate lighting, seating, tables and chairs, drinking water and barrier-free access for persons with disabilities have been made mandatory. Rural centres must provide seating for at least two visitors and urban centres for at least four.The govt has also standardised the names of centres as Aaple Sarkar–Setu Seva Kendra, Aaple Sarkar–Seva Kendra, Aaple Sarkar–Gram Panchayat Seva Kendra and Aaple Sarkar–Nagari Seva Kendra, with prescribed internal and external signboards. Centres must display information on the 15 most-used citizen services, along with QR codes providing details of other services, prescribed timelines and official charges.The department has also mandated GIS mapping and 50-metre geo-fencing of approved centres. Login attempts from outside the designated zone will be automatically blocked. Simultaneous logins will be capped at 20 for Setu and Nagari Seva Kendras, five for Seva Kendras and two for Gram Panchayat Seva Kendras, officials said.Citizens said tighter monitoring was necessary but wanted the focus to remain on uninterrupted service delivery. “Some centres hardly have staff and internet problems delay uploading documents. These basic issues should be addressed first,” said Meera Kaup, who recently had to make several trips to obtain documents.Senior citizen S S Joshi said applications should be processed without middlemen. “There should be proper security and monitoring at these centres,” he said.
