Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has operationalised the Auto-Appeal System under the Odisha Right to Public Services Act, 2012, to ensure timely delivery of notified public services and strengthen accountability among officials.
As per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the General Administration and Public Grievance Department, if a Designated Officer fails to provide a notified service within the prescribed time limit, the system will automatically escalate the application as an Auto-Appeal to the Appellate Authority. If the Appellate Authority does not dispose of the appeal within 30 days, it will be further escalated automatically to the Revisional Authority.
Under the new rules, responsible officers will face a penalty of Rs 250 for each day of delay, subject to a maximum of Rs 5,000, if they fail to provide a sufficient and relevant cause for the delay. The penalty will be recoverable from the officer’s salary.
The Auto-Appeal System aims to eliminate the need for citizens to manually file appeals or revisions merely because statutory timelines have been breached. It will enable real-time monitoring, automatic notifications via SMS, WhatsApp and email, digital processing of appeals, and greater transparency in the delivery of public services.
The SOP has been circulated to all departments for immediate implementation. Officials have been directed to follow the prescribed workflow to ensure compliance and streamline the process of service delivery across the state.
The appellate authority will be able to examine the digital records, seeks explanation, schedule hearing and record proceedings electronically. Hearing notice will be issued at least seven days in advance. A reasoned order will have to be passed within the prescribed statutory period.
Once an application enters the auto-appeal stage, the designated officer will not be permitted to independently process or dispose of the original application until the appeal is decided. The relevant dashboard functionality will be disabled during the pendency of the appeal.
Failure by the appellate authority to dispose of and auto-appeal within the prescribed period will trigger and auto-revision. The revisional authority will examine the complete digital record, including system logs and may impose penalties on officials responsible for delays after providing them a reasonable opportunity of being heard.
The system will maintain a comprehensive digital record of applications, deadlines, officers involved, alerts, hearings, orders and compliance. It will also facilitate identification of frequent defaulters and integration with HRMS and treasury systems for recovery of penalties, wherever applicable.
