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Gandhinagar, February 14: In a proactive verdict, the State Information Commission (SIC) has fined Rs 5,000 on a village talati for delay in furnishing information. It has also asked the Mehsana District Development Officer (DDO) organise a training for all talati-cum-mantris in the district for the Right To Information Act, 2005.
On an appeal by Prahlad Rambhai Patel of Kukarvada village, Vijapur taluka (Mehsana), State Chief Information Commissioner (SCIC) R N Das, slapped the fine on Kukarvada panchayat talati, after disagreeing with the respondent’s argument that he was constrained by workload. Resenting that despite a year of implementation, public servants at the cutting edge are not fully equipped with the provisions of the RTI Act, the Commission has also asked DDO Mehsana to organise a training camp for all talatis within three months of the order.
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Patel had sought to know various aspects of the implementation of the Jawahar Rojgar Yojana and Swarnajayanti Gram Rojgar Yojana 1-2, including the works undertaken under these two schemes, the amount of grants received, approval of the works, labour bills, vouchers paid, and financial assistance availed by the Kukarvada panchayat from various sources on March 6 and 10, 2006.
Failing to get information in the mandated 30 days under the Act, Patel appealed before the Taluka Development Officer. As he got incomplete information here, he appealed before the SIC. The order by SCIC observes that the information sought concerned larger public interest and should have been voluntarily disclosed under section 4 (1) (b) of the Act. Also the SIC lamented the fact that owing to the delay beyond 30 days, the PIO had to provide all information free of cost, thus making the panchayat spend on fees, copying charges incurred.
Dismissing the arguments as unreasonable, the SIC fined the talati a sum of Rs 5,000 to be deducted from his salary and deposited in government account within 15 days of the order. Also, taking note of the fact that the information sought is of general nature, the Commission has ordered that it be publicly disclosed in the village panchayat office, as well as at Taluka panchayat within 15 days of the order, for the benefit of the people. |