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| Provide details of furniture purchased: SIC to CEO Budgam | | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, Nov 10: The State Information Commission (SIC) has directed the Chief Education Officer (CEO) Budgam to reveal all details about various purchases made by him especially vis-a-vis furniture. The said information was earlier denied to an information seeker when he sought the same under Right to Information Act (RTI) Act.
Even after filing first appeal before Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK), the aggrieved, Syed Nazir Ahmad, of Dharmuna, Budgam, was not satisfied, and finally he knocked the doors of SIC.
Nazir had filed an RTI application dated 28.04.2018 before the PIO/CEO Budgam. He had sought copies of transfer orders of all Masters/Teachers issued since 2017, details of purchases made on account of furniture/furnishing items, name of the members of the Purchase Committee, copy of the constitution of Purchase Committee, comparative statement of all purchased items and supply orders issued to the concerned agencies.
As the PIO (CEO Budgam) failed to provide the information to Nazir within the stipulated period, the latter filed First Appeal before the First Appellate Authority (FAA) in the office of DSEK on 07.06.2018. The said appeal was disposed of by the FAA vide order dated 29.06.2018, directing the CEO Budgam to provide pending information, if any, to the appellant within 3 days.
The information seeker was not satisfied and he subsequently filed second appeal before the SIC on 26.07.2018 submitting thereunder that the PIO has failed to provide information to him and therefore necessary directions be issued to the PIO to provide requisite information to the appellant.
The appeal came up for hearing before the SIC on 23.10.2018. The appellant, Nazir Ahmad, was present in person before SIC, while nobody appeared on appeared on behalf of the respondents (CEO Budgam and FAA DSEK). However, CEO Budgam filed a counter statement. The PIOs statement said that he has furnished the details of purchases made on account of furniture to the appellant and also informed him that since supply order was given to SICOP, so no Purchase Committee was constituted and no comparative statement was prepared. The copies of all supply orders given to SICOP for purchase of furniture/furnishing have been provided reads the counter response of CEO Budgam. A copy of this counter statement/para wise reply has been forwarded to the appellant as well along with all enclosures/details of furniture items purchased and copies of supply orders, the CEO said.
The appellant Nazir Ahmad however submitted during the hearing that he has not received the communication dated 04.08.2018 wherein the information is claimed to have been provided to him.
The SIC's order reads: "The appeal is disposed of with a direction to the PIO/CEO Budgam to re-send the information relating to purchases made on account of furniture/furnishing and supply orders issued by the PIO to the appellant within a period of two weeks from the date of issuance of this order. The PIO is also directed to furnish documentary proof of having dispatched the information to the appellant on 04.08.2018 as claimed by the PIO in his counter statement as the appellant has denied to have received the said communication.
"In case, the PIO fails to furnish the information afresh to the appellant within the aforesaid period of two weeks, the appellant shall have liberty to file a complaint against the PIO before the SIC under Section-15 of the Act."
"The SIC should have taken stringent action against FAA in DSEK as he has not adjudicated the appeal as a quasi judicial authority. He has merely directed CEO Budgam to provide information which is against the essence of RTI law. He was supposed to call both appellant and PIO/CEO Budgam and then decide the case. The SIC's order does not mention all this which needs to be taken care in future," said an RTI activist. |
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