Times
of India: Bhopal: Thursday, 02 July 2015.
Their home is
just 3 km from office, but car has to travel as much as 91 km to reach there.
Information commissioners fascination for long drive in the state where
pendency of RTI appeals is in thousands was revealed by a query under Right to
Information Act (RTI).
Their
long-drive penchant is not limited to travel within the city, but also to their
hometown for 'attending seminars' and sometimes without specific reasons. All,
of course, by official vehicles.
Documents
procured under RTI by Dubey has revealed facts. However, officials maintain
travels were within permissible limits.
Like vehicle
number MP 02 AB 0058, which belongs to one of the information commissioners
travelled 91 km in Bhopal on July 7 last year. Again it travelled 91 km on July
8, then 84 km on July 3, 90 km on July 4 and 88 km on July 5.
Most of these
commissioners stay in Char Imli area, which is some 3 km from state information
commission.
One of
information commissioners, who hails from Gwalior, went to Gwalior on an
official trip in June this year after seeking approval of chief information
commissioner on a note-sheet in which it was written, "I will be going on
Gwalior tour on June 5 and 6" without specifying reason for visit.
In another
such case, an information commissioner went for official trip to Indore to
attend a seminarbut before it he went to Mandu, a tourist spot and it was only
late in evening that he came for the seminar. Another commissioner went to
attend a seminar organized by a particular caste group in Gwalior.
"The Act
says state information commissioners should hear appeals at the commission thus
these frequent tours seem a bit extravagant," Ajay Dubey, who took information
under RTI Act, told TOI.
"Bhopal
is such a small town. How can one travel 91 km on official tour," Dubey
asked. On being contacted, chief information commissioner K D Khan, however,
said, "There is a limit of 220 litres of fuel use for each of information
commissioner and any use above this limit is to be borne by commissioner. So it
is always within limits."