By Parshant Chohan ;

Deputy Commissioner Patiala, Ms Preeti Yadav, IAS, reviewing interdepartmental protocols aimed at fortifying civic governance and citizen welfare mechanisms.

July 25, 2025 Patiala

In a significant administrative stride aimed at elevating the standard of civic amenities across the district, the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Ms Preeti Yadav, IAS, has announced the strategic deployment of senior officers entrusted with a spectrum of critical urban and social responsibilities.

The move comes as part of a concerted governmental initiative to ensure not only the physical enhancement of public infrastructure but also the social upliftment of marginalised communities, with a focused lens on inclusive and sustainable urban governance.

According to the official communiqué disseminated via the Deputy Commissioner’s official digital handle, designated officers will now bear direct accountability for addressing and resolving several long-standing civic challenges that have impeded quality of life for residents.

Mandated Responsibilities Include:

• Curbing Child Begging : Officers have been specifically instructed to collaborate with child protection units and civil society stakeholders to formulate rehabilitation-centric interventions that uphold the dignity and rights of vulnerable minors forced into street-level destitution.

• Eradication of Encroachments : Illegal occupations and unauthorised constructions, particularly those impeding public thoroughfares and community spaces, are to be swiftly identified and removed through lawful and transparent proceedings.

• Sanitation and Waste Management : A renewed emphasis has been placed on streamlining sanitation services, with targets for both immediate cleanliness drives and the long-term institutionalisation of solid waste disposal mechanisms.

• Maintenance of Footpaths, Roads, and Street Lighting : Officers are now directly responsible for auditing and overseeing the repair and upkeep of pedestrian infrastructure and arterial roads, in addition to ensuring the uninterrupted functioning of public lighting systems.

• Stormwater Drainage : Given the increasing challenges posed by erratic monsoon patterns, an interdepartmental approach is to be adopted for enhancing the capacity and resilience of the district’s drainage networks to prevent urban flooding.

• Mitigation of Single-Use Plastic Usage : In line with national mandates and environmental sustainability goals, senior functionaries are to drive awareness and enforcement campaigns to significantly curtail the proliferation of single-use plastics within municipal and commercial domains.

Ms Yadav underscored the need for proactive field presence, community engagement, and data-backed interventions. “Each officer has been tasked with not merely administrative oversight, but with embodying a problem-solving ethos that translates into tangible improvements for the citizenry,” she remarked.

This initiative aligns seamlessly with the Punjab Government’s broader vision for participatory governance, where decentralised accountability and departmental convergence serve as the cornerstones of effective public service delivery.

Observers note that such structural reforms, when implemented with rigour and transparency, not only remedy urban bottlenecks but also engender civic trust—a cornerstone of responsive governance.

As Patiala forges ahead on its trajectory of holistic development, the district administration’s latest move reflects a firm commitment to delivering governance that is both people-centric and future-ready.