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| Reveal details of quake, flood relief receivers: SIC to DC Kupwara | | | Early Times Report
KUPWARA, June 24: The State Information Commission (SIC) has taken cognizance of an appeal filed by a Kupwara resident and directed the office of Deputy Commissioner office Kupwara to reveal details of relief provided to affected people in 2005 earthquake and 2014 floods.
The information was denied to the information seeker by the office of DC Kupwara which prompted him to move an appeal before the SIC. The initial RTI application was filed in Divisional Commissioner's office who forwarded it to DC office Kupwara.
Details available with Early Times reveal that an RTI application dated 30-10-2018 was filed by one Irfan Bashir Malik, of Hampora, Qaziabad in Kupwara with Public Information Officer (PIO) in the office of Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir Srinagar, seeking information about the households who were provided financial assistance/relief by the government in the aftermath of 2005 earthquake & 2014 floods in Kupwara.
The information seeker had sought details with name of household, address, amount sanctioned for each household. He had also sought the details of procedure adopted to make the assessments. On the failure of the PIO to provide any information, the appellant filed the First Appeal before the First Appellate Authority (FAA) on 07-12- 2018. As the FAA failed to decide the first appeal, the appellant filed this 2nd appeal with a prayer to provide information sought vide RTI application dated 30-10-2018 and to penalize the PIO as per the provisions of the RTI Act.
The PIO vide his counter statement to the 2nd appeal submitted that as the information was pertaining to District Kupwara and as such, the RTI application of the appellant was forwarded to PIO in the office of Deputy Commissioner, Kupwara in terms of Section 6 (3) of J&K RTI Act, 2009 with the request to provide the desired information to the appellant. The PIO further submitted that the first appeal filed by the appellant was also forwarded to FAA in the office of Deputy Commissioner, Kupwara in terms of section 16 of the Act.
The second appeal came up for hearing before the SIC on 17-05-2019. Appellant Irfan Bashir Malik did not attend the hearing. However Latafat Shawl, Tehsildar/APIO in the office of Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir attended the hearing. The APIO submitted that since the information sought by the appellant pertained to PIO in the office of Deputy Commissioner, Kupwara, as such, the RTI application of the appellant was transferred to the said PIO vide communication dated 01-11- 2018.
The hearing in the case was adjourned by SIC with direction to the registry to issue notice to PIO in the office of Deputy Commissioner, Kupwara instead of PIO in the office of Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir besides enclose copy of RTI application dated 30-10-2018 and copy of second appeal filed by the appellant before SIC )for filing his written reply/counter statement by or before the next date of hearing.
The case was again listed before SIC on 11.06.2019, but nobody among appellant or Public Information Officer (PIO) was present during the hearing. Vide interim order dated 17-05-2018, PIO in the office of Deputy Commissioner, Kupwara was directed by SIC to furnish complete information to the appellant Irfan Bashir Malik and report compliance was sought by the next date of hearing. However, no compliance report was filed by the PIO DC office Kupwara. The appeal was disposed of with a direction to the PIO to provide complete information to the appellant as sought by him through his RTI application dated 30-10-2018 and file a compliance report before the Commission within a period of three weeks from the date of receipt of this order.
The SIC order reads: "In case the PIO Deputy Commissioner, Kupwara fails to file compliance report within the above referred period, the proceedings for non compliance of the orders of the Commission shall be initiated." |
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