Asif Iqbal Naik
Early Times Report
Kishtwar, June 9: Despite clear cut directions from the Government and Information Commissioner, various government departments in Jammu and Kashmir are reluctant to provide information to various information seekers and were seen causing unnecessary delay in providing the information to concerned persons.
In one such fresh case concerning department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Institution, an information seeker under Jammu and Kashmir RTI Act 2009 was subjected to harassment and inconvenience.
As per the details available with ET, Ghulam Rasool Magrey son of Ghulam Mohammad Magrey Resident of Nawapachi Marwah and Abdul Wahid Malik son of Ghulam Ahmed Malik Resident of Changer Marwah, District Kishtwar filed an RTI before Block Development Officer Marwah on 4-4-2018 through registered post seeking details regarding amount received from the government in all the heads including MGNREGA, BRGF, MPLAD, CDF, SDRF, SBM along with photo copies, details of invoices under which the payments were made on account of Material Cost, on account of works executed, details of beneficiaries under IAY and payments made thereof from the year 2013 to March 2018 in block Marwah, Warwan and Dachhan, but even after the lapse of stipulated time frame, the BDO Marwah did not provide him the information.
Speaking to ET, the RTI applicants said that their RTI is not an isolated case where the BDO concerned denied the information and added that RTI Act was like a dead ruble for the RDD department in Kishtwar District, particularly in Warwan, Marwah and Dachhan blocks. It is pertinent to mention that the RDD department faces allegations of corruption with each passing day, particularly with regard to purchase of material under MGNREGA for various schemes undergoing in the department.
In similar cases two RTIs were filled in the office of the Assistant Commissioner Development Kishtwar but in response to both the RTIs no information was provided by the concern BDOs.
The non serious approach of the BDOs of Kishtwar District could be gauged from the fact that no BDO among the 13 blocks of the District attended the hearing on RTI appeal called by the ACD Kishtwar in his office chamber and in response only BDO Kishtwar, Inderwal, Mughal Maidan provided the information to one RTI pertaining to plantation.
ACD Kishtwar also issued another reminder to the BDO's vide letter No. ACDK/RTI/2017-18/1474-1488 Dated 20-11-2017, but the result was same as all the BDO's continuously deflated the directions of ACD Kishtwar.
Even the appeal was also made to the Office of Chief Information Commissioner through postal registry, but commission too failed to act and make the BDO's of Kishtwar District accountable.
The information which was seek through the first RTI for the period 2016-17/2017-18 pertains to Block Wise details of plantation in Kishtwar District, Copy of advertisement published in newspapers inviting tenders , details of plants purchased and payments made thereof including the cost of each plant, copy of fitness certificate of the purchased plants by team of experts, details of payments drawn under MGNREGA for plantation of these plants on ground including tree guards used to protect these plants along with photos and videos of these plants in the form of CD, but to the disappointment, no information was provided by any BDO of Kishtwar District that raises the finger of suspicious over the works executed by the department beside need to be probed through corruption watch dogs. |
