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| PIO BDO Khour harasses RTI applicant | | Demands inflated rates to provide information | | Arun Singh
Jammu, Oct 2: Contrary to the claims of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah regarding strengthening Right To Information (RTI) Act in the state, some officials in government departments are resorting harassment to those seeking information under Act.
Sources told Early Times that in sheer violation of RTI Act 2009, PIO Block Development Officer Khour demanded Rs 10 per photo copy from an information seeker Raj Kumar who had filed an RTI to PIO Block Development Officer Khour seeking information of total number of job card holders and utilization of funds under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in Panchayat Nanthal of Khour Block. "In response to my RTI, PIO sent me a letter under vide number BDO/KH/2013-14/8-9 on dated 18-7-2013 informing to deposit Rs 10 per photo copy for total 119 number of pages with concerning department despite the fact that Rs 2 per copy is charged as per rule from the seeker for required information," he said."Either the PIO BDO Khour don't know about the ruling under RTI Act 2009 that Rs 2 is per photo copy for desired information or he is deliberately feigning ignorance ostensibly to harass the information seeker," Raj Kumar lamented. He further informed that earlier he had moved a complaint with Assistant Commissioner Development Jammu saying that Block Development Officer (BDO) Khour asked him to deposit Rs 30,000 in advance as stationary charges for getting specific information in a deliberate attempt to deny information to the seeker. As a result, Assistant Commissioner Development Jammu directed PIO BDO Khour to provide the detail of number of photocopy pages for which it had demanded Rs 30,000 from the applicant he said further adding that BDO Khour then sent me letter disclosing number of pages to 119. "I had filed an application with BDO Khour Akhnoor under RTI Act on June 3, 2013 seeking information about the total number of job card holders in Panchayat Nanthal of Khour block under MGNREGA with their names and addresses, providing muster chart, total expenditure incurred and number of works done in the Panchayat under scheme", he said. Besides, I had also sought information about total amount of funds released to Block Khour under Indira Gandhi Awas Yojna till date and detail of beneficiaries Panchayat wise, Raj Kumar added. He further informed "Surprisingly I received an official letter from BDO Khour vide number BDO/Kh/2013-14/04 issued on June 15, 2013 informing me to deposit Rs 30,000 within a week as stationery/photostat and other expenditure charges". |
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