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| Land purchased by Ministers, legislators from 2002 to 2013 | | SIC directs Tehsildar (T) Jammu to divulge information | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Nov 27: In a significant order the State Information Commission (SIC) has directed the Tehsildar Territorial Jammu to reveal all the details about land purchased by present Ministers , MLAs , MLCs etc in Jammu district from 2003 till 2013 . The information sought includes details of land acquired as gift deeds and mutations made thereof. The details were not earlier divulged by the office of DC Jammu as well as Tehsildar (T) Jammu on the pretext that information was voluminous and would require lot of manpower and official resources.
As per details available with Early Times, Jammu based RTI Activist and Advocate Vilakshana Singh moved an application on June 20, 2013 under RTI Act, before the Public Information Officer (PIO) office of the Deputy Commissioner, Jammu wherein he has sought the information relating to details of land purchased/acquired by various modes including gift, relinquishment, will etc/mutated in favour of all the sitting Ministers of the State Government and their spouses and also certain MPs, MLAs, MLCs and their spouses in Tehsil Jammu from 2002 till June 2013.
The RTI Activist did not receive any response from the PIO/Tehsildar(T), Jammu within a statutory period and thus feeling aggrieved of inaction on the part of the PIO/ Tehsildar(T), Jammu, he filed 1st appeal which was disposed of vide order no. ACR/RTI/2013-14/745-46 dated 27- 08-2013 directing the PIO/Tehsildar(T), Jammu to provide the information whatsoever is available to the appellant within three weeks of time under an intimation to his office.
However, the PIO/Tehsildar(T), Jammu vide office letter no. TJ/PIO/RTI/13 14/218 dated 23-09-2013 informed the RTI Activist Vilashkana Singh that the information sought was not available in ready format. All the details of land purchased/acquired by various modes are reflected in the revenue record by way of mutations indicating the name, parentage, address and caste of the person acquiring/purchasing the land. The PIO/Tehsildar(T), Jammu further informed the appellant that each mutation has separate mutation number village wise and for obtaining details of such information the requisite fees prescribed under statutes has to be paid.
However, the RTI Activist instead of depositing the requisite fee in the office of the PIO/Tehsildar(T), Jammu preferred 2nd appeal on October 28, 2013 before the State Information Commission (SIC). The matter was listed for hearing on November 21, 2013. During the course of proceedings, the PIO submitted before the Commission that the information sought by the information seeker is voluminous in nature and will require the scrutiny of mutation registers since 2002 till June 2013 of about 368 villages and 106 Patwar Halquas situated in Tehsil Jammu and requested the Commission to grant him sufficient time so that the field staff can be instructed to conduct the scrutiny of mutation registers of the villages which fall under the territorial jurisdiction of Tehsil, Jammu and prepare the information accordingly. The appellant Vilakshana Singh submitted before the State Information Commission (SIC) that he requires only certified copies of mutations (Parat Patwar) relating to the information sought by him in his RTI application. The PIO requested the Commission that the appellant should be directed to furnish the names and particulars of the persons and the land acquired by them about whom he is interested in seeking the information.
After hearing both the parties the State Information Commissioner Dr S K Sharma issued the order which reads, " Keeping in view the request of the PIO, the appellant is directed to submit an application containing the names and particulars of the persons and the land acquired by them to the PIO within a week's time about whom he has sought the information in his RTI application. It will facilitate the PIO to collect the information within a reasonable time, otherwise it may lead to random sampling and will be an exercise in futility, thus diverting disproportionately the meager resources of a public authority. |
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