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| RTI applicant accuses CIC of shielding Estate authorities | | Allotment of Govt accommodation | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Feb 24: An RTI applicant has accused the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) of taking a lenient view of violation of RTI Act by the PIOs of Estates Department. The applicant Muhammad Ayoub Ayan of Mahore was denied information by PIOs of the estates Department. He sought intervention of the CIC who, according to him, did not take a serious note of the violation. The Deputy Director and the Director have been designated as PIO and FAA of the Estates Department. Details available with Early Times suggest the applicant filed RTI application before Deputy Director/PIO, Estates Department on 06-08-2012. The appellant being aggrieved for not having been provided information filed 1st appeal before the Director/FAA, Estates Department, Civil Secretariat, Jammu on 11-10-2012. The order was passed on 17-12-2012 beyond maximum time of 45 days.
The order passed by Chief Information Commissioner vide decision No: SIC/CO/SA/02/2013/391 Dated: 22.1.2013 has reminded Director of Estates (FAA) about statutory duty to adjudicate 1st appeal within time prescribed under section 16 of the RTI Act.
The appellant filed 2nd appeal in the Information Commission appealing therein for passing directions to the PIO to provide complete and correct information. The Commission while hearing FAA/PIO and appellant said that the PIO has submitted that the order on application of the appellant which was passed on 29-08-2012 and was sent by registered post to Mohammad Ayoub. The PIO had further submitted that after having received directions from FAA the appellant was contacted on telephone to come personally to collect the exact information.
"The PIO is advised that instead of personal attendance of information seeker it will be treated due compliance if information is sent through registered post or served through notice server. The appellant stated before this Commission that the information provided to him on 29-08-2012 is not in accordance with his RTI application. Therefore, it will be appropriate to reproduce in brief what information was required by the appellant", reads the SIC order. The applicant had sought following details about encroachment on state land and construction done and whether the department had taken any action in this regard.
He had further sought information about Ministers and Ex-Ministers, MLAs and their relatives to whom Estates Department has allotted accommodation and government accommodation occupied unauthorizedly.
He has also sought number of shops, plots including Khasra Nos in Jammu district. The PIO obviously has given incomplete information and has not followed the correct procedures for providing information, says the SIC order.The PIO has simply stated that it is done strictly as per Govt Order No.169-GAD of 2004 dated 10-2-2004.
The Chief Information Commissioner finally directed the PIO to provide the information to the information seeker strictly in accordance with the application filed by the information seeker under section 6 of the State RTI Act. Compliance to this order may be made within 15 days from receipt of this order reads the SIC order. But inspite of all these irregularities the PIO has not been penalized by the Commission nor he has been issued any show cause notice on the direction of Chief Information Commissioner G R Sufi and this raises a question against the biased character of the SIC.
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