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| Directs GMC Jammu to make voluntary disclosure | | SIC takes serious note of RTI Act violation | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Sept 8: The State Information Commission (SIC) in one of its important decisions has directed the Government Medical College Jammu (GMC Jammu) to make voluntary disclosure of the information related to functioning & operation of the GMC and its associated hospitals through its official website within two months. This Information otherwise should have been made pro actively available four years back under the provisions of the section 4 (1) (b) J&K RTI Act 2009. The section 4 (1) (b) of the state RTI Act stresses upon public authorities to publish the said information with 100 days from the day J&K RTI Act came into force in J&K state (20th March 2009) .
As per details available with Early Times Vilakshana Singh RTI Activist and Advocate from Jammu moved an application dated 24- 12-2012 under J&K Right to Information Act, 2009 before the PIO Government Medical College & Associated Hospitals, Jammu seeking some information from GMC authorities .
The RTI Application had sought powers of the Principal, Medical Superintendent and Medical Officer (Stores) had also been sought.
The applicant had further sought powers and duties of officers and employees of the Government Medical College & Associated Hospitals, Jammu and the procedure adapted in decision making process.
Further information about medicines available in the hospital, directory and other necessary information concerning the function of the GMC and its associated hospitals had also been sought.
When the said information was not provided, the information seeker filed a complaint under section 15 of the J&K RTI Act, 2009 alleging therein that the information sought by him was not provided within 30 days as required U/s 7(1) of the J&K RTI Act, 2009. The information seeker apprised the (SIC) that some information was provided in parts whereas information provided in respect of some was incomplete.
The complainant in his plea before the Commission urged that the Government Medical College, Jammu and the Associated Hospitals were bound to publish the above said information sought by the complainant within one hundred days of the commencement of J&K RTI Act, 2009 but inspite of lapse of about four years since the expiry of 100 days the PIO for the said Public Authority is in the process of collection of said information.
The said information should have been kept ready at the disposal of the PIO by the head of the Public Authority on or before 8th of July, 2009 i.e. about four years ago. The complainant further urged that non-adherence to the provisions of Section 4(1)(b) of the J&K RTI Act, 2009 by the Public Authority i.e. Head of the Government Medical College and Associated Hospitals is a very serious violation of the provisions of the J&K RTI Act, 2009 as the Section 4 of the Act is considered as a spirit of the Act. The complainant prayed before the SIC that the Public Authority i.e. Principal, Government Medical College and Hospitals be directed to publish on the website the information required to be published U/s 4(1) (b) of the J&K RTI Act, 2009.
“The plea taken by the complainant appears to be genuine and well within the parameters of the J&K RTI Act, 2009 because each public authority is under a statutory obligation to implement Section 4 and publish the information within 120 days from the commencement of the Act. The Principal, Government Medical College and Associated Hospitals is hereby directed to follow the mandate of Section 4 of the J&K RTI Act, 2009 and place the entire information on its website so that access to all the relevant records pertaining to said public authority is facilitated for the benefit of general public within two months from the date of receipt of this order under an intimation to the Commission” reads the order issued by the SIC in Jammu on August 26th 2013. |
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