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| Train officers make disclosure under RTI, CIC to Director ULB Kashmir | | | Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, June 6: With an aim of creating awareness about Right to Information Act (RTI) as mandated under section 23 of the J&K RTI Act 2009 and to ensure voluntary disclosure of information , the State Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) has directed Director Urban Local Bodies Kashmir to train his officers on handling RTI applications and to make voluntary disclosure of information under section 4 of the act. The order was passed by CIC after a complaint was filed by a Srinagar based journalist against the Directorate for not adhering to the provisions of J&K RTI Act 2009. Details available with Early Times reveal that a Srinagar based journalist namely Zahoor Gulzar filed a complaint before State Information Commission (SIC) alleging that incomplete information was provided to him in response to his RTI application dated: 18.05.2017. The complaint filed by Zahoor Gulzar came up for hearing before the State Information Commission (SIC) for the first time on 20.12.2017. The hearing was attended by Javiad Ahmad Mir, Executive Officer, Municipal Committee, Yaripora , Sarfaraz Ahmad Bhat, Executive Officer, Municipal Committee, Pahalgam and Mohammad Amin Padder, I/C Executive Officer, Municipal Committee, Verinag (all designated PIOs)The complainant did Zahoor Gulzar did not attend the hearing .
On perusal of the records by SIC it was observed that the complaint has been filed an appeal against the Directorate of Urban Local Bodies, Kashmir for failure to furnish information under RTI Act regarding alleged illegal appointments made in three Municipal Committees of Yaripora , Pahalgam and Veerinag. The complaint had arisen out of RTI application dated: 18.05.2017 filed by one Zahoor Gulzar before the PIO, in the office of Directorate of Urban Local Bodies, Kashmir who has incorrectly transferred the said RTI application to the Executive Officers in different Municipal Committees instead of collecting, compiling and providing the information in the capacity of the PIO of the Central office of the Public Authority and repository of all the record i.e. Directorate of Urban Local Bodies, Kashmir. The CIC Khurshid Ahmad Ganai directed as:
" Keeping in view the response of the respondents, it will be in the interest of fair disposal of this complaint to dispose of this complaint with the following directions: (i) The PIO of the Directorate of Urban Local Bodies shall exercise caution in future and become well versed with the provisions of the J&K RTI Act, 2009 to ensure that section 6 (3) is not misinterpreted or used to the detriment of the information seekers. (ii) Director, Urban Local Bodies, Kashmir shall ensure proper training to the officials of the Directorate and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in the implementation of the J&K RTI Act, 2009. (iii) Director, Urban Local Bodies, Kashmir shall also ensure implementation of the provisions of section 4 of the J&K RTI Act, 2009 in the Directorate of Urban Local Bodies (Kashmir) and all the Urban Local Bodies in Kashmir division. With these observations the complaint is disposed of "
Pertinent to mention that High Court in its interim order with regard to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by J&K RTI Movement had also directed the Govt to give status of implementation of section 4 and section 23 of J&K RTI Act 2009. |
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