The Hindu: Belagavi: Wednesday,
February 15, 2017.
State
Information Commissioner Shankar R. Patil called upon the heads of the
departments to suo motu declare all necessary information about programmes,
schemes, projects and works, along with budgetary allocations, on their respective
websites and at project sites. He said this would bring down the number of
applications seeking information under the RTI Act, 2005, by half.
Mr. Patil,
one of the six commissioners in the Karnataka Information Commission (KIC), was
speaking to mediapersons after conducting a training programme for Public
Information Officers and First Appellate Authorities in various departments on
Tuesday. He advised officials to be proactive in replying to RTI applications
and not wait for the maximum 30 day period for the same. Data on various
subjects was readily available and could be given out quickly.
He said he
had disposed about 4,500, of the 8000 cases which came up before his court
since he took charge two years and eight months ago. Now, around 30,000
applications were pending for disposal.
Mr. Patil
slapped a penalty of ₹25,000 on V.N. Karekar, Town Planning Officer at
Hubballi-Dharwad Urban Development Authority, for failing to provide
information and non-compliance of the KIC’s order in violation of the RTI Act.
Mr. Karekar, serving in same post in Belagavi Urban Development Authority
earlier, had not provided information for three years on the criteria adopted
for appointment of law officers as sought by an advocate.
In another
case, the Police Commissioner had been advised to issue a show cause notice to
retired Assistant Sub Inspector M.G. Mujawar for giving false information while
in service. Mr. Patil said action could be taken for violations of RTI Act even
after retirement of a public officer but within four years from the day of his
or her retirement.
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