Times of
India: Chandigarh: Saturday, June 22, 2019.
The
Punjab State Information Commission has directed the transport department to
upload the details of fuel expenditure incurred on ministers’ official vehicles
every quarter.
The
direction was issued by information commissioner (IC) Khushwant Singh while
hearing a case filed by Zirakpur-resident Karan Singh, who had sought
information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act from Punjab transport
commissioner about the government vehicles attached with a former minister.
The
petitioner had asked for the information including month-wise expense incurred
on each vehicle, per month distance covered by each vehicle, and details of
drivers of each attached vehicle. The petitioner was denied the information, following
which he filed appeal before the first appellant authority which took no
decision on the appeal. Thereafter, he approached the commission.
The
transport department has been asked to proactively publish and upload the
information on the official website regarding monthly fuel expenses and
kilometers travelled by all the ministers. The direction, however, is not
applicable to the vehicles used by the security wing.
The
transport department has been directed to upload the information from January
1, 2012 onwards, which is to be updated quarterly. The department has been
asked to a take cue from prime minister office website which regularly upload
details of expenditure incurred on the PM’s foreign visits.
The
IC referred to section 4(2) of the RTI Act which states: “It shall be a
constant endeavor of every public authority to take steps in accordance with
the requirements of clause (b) of sub-section (1) to provide as much
information suo motu to the public at regular intervals through various means
of communications, including internet, so that the public have minimum resort
to the use of this Act to obtain information.”
While
issuing the direction the commission also referred to Section 19(8)(a)(iii) of
the RTI Act, which empowers the Central Information Commission or state
information commission to require the public authority to take any such steps
as may be necessary to secure compliance with the provisions of this Act,
including by publishing certain information or categories of information.
Taking
the complexity involved in implement the order, IC Kushwant Singh has
instructed the transport department to prepare a roadmap and submit it at the
next date of hearing to ensure implementation of the order at earliest. The
case is schedule for hearing on August 6.
.JPG)
.JPG)
