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| Provide copies of land acquisition awards, SIC asks PIO | | Srinagar Ring Road | | Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, June 28: The State Information Commission (SIC) has finally set aside order of Deputy Commissioner Budgam wherein her office had refused to share information under RTI Act about awards prepared on account of land acquisition for Srinagar Ring Road.
The information was sought by aggrieved farmers whose land was acquired during land acquisition process. The SIC has also directed to provide all the details of payments to some beneficiaries which was also denied by the PIO in DC Office Budgam by invoking section 8 of JK RTI Act 2009.
Details available with Early Times reveal that information seeker Raja Muzaffar Bhat on behalf of affected farmers sought details of the awards prepared and compensation disbursed to farmers under J&K RTI Act 2009. The designated Public Information Officer (PIO) who is also Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Budgam didn't respond at all. Instead the Collector Land Acquisition/Assistant Commissioner Revenue (ACR) provided him a copy of information wherein he refused to share the details under RTI by invoking section 8.
As reported already by Early Times, farmers affected by Srinagar/Jammu Ring Road are fighting the battle at multiple fronts that includes judicial intervention as well. The High Court's Division Bench early this year disposed off RTI Movement's Public Interest Litigation (PIL) wherein government had been directed to adhere to the provisions of suo-moto disclosure of information under section 4 of State RTI Act plus creating massive RTI awareness as mandated under the section 23 of J&K RTI Act 2009.
"By not making disclosures about payment of compensation to affected farmers in Budgam and other districts, it seems Government is not even respecting the RTI Act and the orders of the High Court vis a vis implementation of JK RTI Act 2009 . We have no option but to file a Contempt Petition before the court of law now. Through an RTI petition in November 2018, I sought copies of "Awards" prepared for land acquisition coming under the alignment of Semi Ring Road in six villages of Budgam district," said G A Paul, president Land Owners Welfare Association.
"The awards have already been finalized as the payment has been made to most of the affected farmers. I also sought certified list of land owners in whose favour compensation money has been credited. I sought details of exact amount credited into each beneficiary account and amount of land acquired. I also sought certified copies of re-assessment made by Horticulture department on the High Court direction in the case of Ghulam Mohammad Bhat V/s State of Jammu & Kashmir. The public authorities especially Revenue Department and all the DC offices were supposed to make voluntary disclosure of all this information their respective official websites under section 4 of JK RTI Act 2009 and as per the High Court direction but this hasn't been done at all. Even when the same was sought under RTI, it was turned down. But we are thankful to SIC for coming to our rescue," said Raja Muzaffar Bhat, an RTI activist.
The SIC while issuing the interim order on June 13 set aside PIO DC office's order and directed him to reveal all the details sought by information seeker through his RTI application. |
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