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| VO wakes up to its RTI obligation | | | Sant Kumar Sharma | 9/20/2009 12:18:15 AM |
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Jammu, Sept 19: The State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) has taken a lead in ensuring transparency in dealing with the applications received by it under the Right To Information (RTI) Act. It has posted the details of the action taken on these applications on its website.
Overall, the applicants were provided the requisite information in 27 out of 28 cases. In one case, case no SVO-PE-SLK-2/05, regarding cancellation of liquor licenses, the applicant was not provided any information. Even this fact that the information was not provided to the applicant has been given on the website.
Most of the cases pertain to alleged acts of omission and commission against government officials. The officials range from patwaris of various halqas to Chairman of Jammu Central Cooperative bank.
A number of cases in which the applicants have sought details from the SVO include those pertaining to alleged tampering of revenue records. Some applications pertain to alleged backdoor appointments and even regarding disbursement of cash assistance to undeserving persons in Municipal Committee Pampore.
Some applications were filed by advocates practicing in Srinagar and Jammu divisions of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. In some of these cases, the advocates were given access to the official records, as desired, and in others given the requisite information.
One of the cases in which the applicant had sought information was case no FIR-37/87-J against officers of the Law Department. In this connection, the information on action taken was provided to the applicant on 11-08-2006.
Some of the applicants had sought details regarding cases against director level officers. These officers were from the agriculture department, local bodies department and Khadi and Village Industries Board (KVIB).
The details of action taken in the case against A.K. Raina, IAS, then Director Local Bodies, Jammu, in case no 21-2006 of Vigilance Organisation Jammu, were also provided to a lawyer who had sought them, as per the data posted on the website. This information was provided in January 2008.
The case listed at serial number 28 or the last case on the website pertains to Rev-G-112/2003, against Mohammed Shafi Khanday, then patwari halqa Qalampora, Pulwama. The relevant details were provided to the applicant on 09-03-09.
The website was last updated on April 8, 2009, and that is a point which the SVO higher-ups can address. The very idea of e-governance is dissemination of information in real time, if possible, but it appears that it will be some time before such promptness becomes visible in the government departments.
An information technology (IT) expert, who did not wish to be identified, said: ``There is a small design flaw in the details. The oldest cases have been listed at serial no 1, 2 … and the most recent at serial number 28. It should be the other way round with the most recent cases being stacked on top.’’
Elaborating, he added: ``The case listed at serial number 28 pertains to March 2009. It should be listed on top of the page with the oldest case figuring at the bottom.’’
Incidentally, the SVO is yet to appoint a PIO or an APIO to fulfill requirements as mandated by the RTI, 2009.
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