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| SIC penalizes BDO for disrespecting RTI | | Rs 15000 to be deducted from his salary | | Early Times Report
Kupwara, Dec 3: The State Information Commission (SIC) has penalized a Block Development Officer (BDO), who was previously posted in block Wavoora of district Kupwara. An amount of Rs 15000 will be deducted from the officer's salary in three equal installments for showing utter disrespect to J&K RTI Act 2009 by not providing information to a local information seeker. Details available with Early Times reveal that penalty proceedings under Section-17 of the J&K RTI Act, 2009 were initiated against one Mohammad Maqbool, Block Development Officer (BDO) Wavoora, Lolab of District Kupwara on account of his failure to furnish information to an RTI applicant namely Asif Iqbal Khan a resident of Kandhar Kuligam district Kupwara in response to his RTI application dated 27.02.2017. The said RTI application culminated in 2nd appeal bearing No. SIC/K/SA/ 73/2017 titled Asif Iqbal Khan V/S FAA/ACD Kupwara and PIO/BDO Wavoora, which was finally disposed of by the State Information Commission (SIC) on 23.01.2018 wherein penalty proceedings were initiated against the then PIO namely Mohammad Maqbool BDO Wavoora for his failure to provide information to the appellant within the specified period.
After being served notice by SIC, Mohammad Maqbool, PIO/BDO Wavoora Kupwara filed his reply vide his communication No.BDO/W/4114-16 dated 14.02.2018. In his reply the then PIO / BDO did not explain as to why the information was not furnished to Asif Iqbal the information seeker within the specified period. Even the reply furnished to the information seeker after the disposal of the 2nd appeal was incomplete & misleading.
Vide another notice of the State Information Commission (SIC) dated 26.05.2018, the then PIO / BDO Wavoora Kupwara was directed to appear before the Commission in person for explaining the delay. The proceedings under Section-17 of the J&K RTI Act initiated by the SIC came up for hearing before the SIC on 05.06.2018. Mohammad Maqbool, PIO/BDO Wavoora attended the said hearing. Finally the penalty proceedings came up for hearing before the State Information Commission (SIC) on 29.11.2018. Mohammad Maqbool, the then PIO/BDO Wavoora neither attended the hearing in person nor submitted any written explanation pursuant to the directions given by the Commission on 05.06.2018. This infuriated the Information Commissioner Mohammad Ashraf Mir who issued orders for penalizing the BDO / PIO. "The amount of penalty shall be payable by Mohammad Maqbool from his own pocket and shall be deducted from his monthly salary in three equal installments of Rs 5000/- each commencing from the salary drawn for the month of December, 2018 onwards. Since the BDOs happen to be DDOs themselves, the Treasury Officer Sogam District Kupwara is directed not to entertain any salary bills of Mohammad Baqbool, BDO Wavoora without ensuring that the amount of penalty in monthly installments has been deducted from his salary by the DDO. The AC(D) Kupwara is also directed to ensure that the amount of penalty is deducted from the Salary of Mohammad Maqbool, BDO Wavoora Lolab District Kupwara. Both the AC(D) Kupwara and the Treasury Officer Sogam, District Kupwara are directed to file a compliance report regarding the deduction of the amount of the penalty from the salary bills of Mohammad Maqbool," the SIC held. The SIC also directed the Registry to forward a copy of this order to Director General, Accounts and Treasuries, J&K, Jammu, Dy. Commissioner, Kupwara and Director, Rural Development Department, Kashmir for their information and issuing necessary instruction to their subordinate officers seeking compliance of this order. |
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