Raipur, Sept. 6: Anna Hazare’s crusade against corruption has had its ripple effect in Chhattisgarh with the state government deciding to enact a law that will clear applications and grievances in a time-bound manner.

The state government has decided to table the Chhattisgarh Lok Sewa Guarantee Bill, 2011, in the ongoing monsoon session of the Assembly. Once the bill is passed in the House, it will become an Act with government notification.

The state cabinet gave its approval to the draft bill yesterday evening.

The monsoon session of the state Assembly will conclude on Saturday.

“The citizen’s charter has been introduced by many governments, including Chhattisgarh, but there is no law to ensure its implementation,” chief minister Raman Singh said. The Chhattisgarh Lok Sewa Guarantee Bill, 2011, would overcome the lacuna, he added.

Under the Act, the departments and agencies notified by the state government to be covered under its ambit will have to address the grievances of people within a stipulated time frame. The senior officials will work out the time periods for different cases.

The officials and employees, who fail to clear the grievances or cases within the stipulated period, will be liable to face action. “Besides penalty, the guilty will also face disciplinary action from the government under the service rules,” a senior state government official told The Telegraph.

All civic bodies, panchayats, boards, corporations and commissions will also be covered under the act. Applicants seeking information, redress of a problem or approval for any work will get a response within set deadline.

Senior officials, however, can heave a sigh of relief. The state secretariat housing the offices of top bureaucrats has been left out of the purview of the Act.

Notably, the Chhattisgarh legislation will differ from the Right to Service Bill passed last week by the Assembly in Jharkhand, also a BJP-ruled state, in that the latter takes into account the entire bureaucracy.