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| RDD Kishtwar asks RTI applicant to deposit Rs 12000 as Xerox charges | | | Asif Iqbal Naik
Early Times Report
Kishtwar, Mar 7: In a glaring example of open loot and to divert the attention of the information seeker under Right to Information Act , the Rural Development Department and Panchayat Raj in Kishtwar District has asked the information seeker to deposit Rs 12000 as Photostat charges in official account No. SG-5591-GIC TP counter Kishtwar on account of cost of Printing /Photostats charges. He has been further told that the fee shall be calculated at the time of handing over of the information and the amount received in excess or less shall be refunded or collected at that time.
As per the details available with "Early Times", Asgar Ali son of Abdul Subhan resident of Mellan Kishtwar had filled an RTI on 20-2-2018 seeking the details from DBO Office Kishtwar regarding the construction of bathrooms under Individual House Hold Latrine in his ward and the name of the beneficiaries thereof. Instead of providing few pages information, the Public Information Officer in the Office of Block Development Officer Kishtwar had directed the applicant vide letter No. BDOK/KTR/2017-18/1280 Dated 6-3-2018 to deposit Rs. 12000 fee as charges before the requisite information will be provided to the applicant under RTI Act.
In response to the shocker received by the RTI applicant, the applicant submitted an application before the Block Development Officer Kishtwar to provide the details of actual number of pages to be provided by the department so that he could deposit the actual fee as per Sub Section 1 of RTI Act 2009 and further seek clarification whether the charges are to be paid as the RTI Act 2009.
Speaking to "Early Times" the information seeker said that he belongs to a poor family and had requested the department for providing him the bathroom under IHHL scheme added that the department however denied the same to him till date. He said that there will be around 100 houses and said that the information demanded by him from the department will be hardly on 2-3 pages. He said that demanding such huge amount from a poor persons itself reflects that the department is not interested in providing the legitimate information to him and called upon the higher authorities to look into the issue. He said that department officials are unnecessary harassing him and instead of providing him the information is demanding such huge amount so that he could not continue to pursue his application filled by him under RTI Act. |
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