Chandigarh Newsline; Jasneet Bindra, Thursday, July 21, 2011,
If details about Manpreet can be given in a day, why not about others, asks SIC; gives transport dept 2 weeks to reply.
The Punjab State Information Commission on Wednesday came down heavily on the State Transport Commissioner’s (STC) office for not providing information to former finance minister Manpreet Badal. The complainant had sought to know the total amount spent on propulsion charges of vehicles, including reimbursements, of the chief minister, deputy CM and cabinet ministers, besides details of vehicles deployed with them.
During the last hearing, State Information Commissioner (SIC) P P S Gill had asked the STC deputy controller of finance and accounts (DCFA) to provide documents either free of cost or submit an affidavit, clarifying how data regarding propulsion charges is computed, compiled, maintained and also justify why ministerwise and yearwise total expenses incurred on fuel could not be provided when the deployment of vehicles was done and specific drivers assigned.
DCFA Jagdish Singh Saini, who appeared on Wednesday, said he has assumed office on July 5 and referred to inbuilt system constraints like shortage of staff in his office. He added that information sought was vast and he needed three months to compile it. To this, the SIC said: “Your office gave similar information about Manpreet Badal in a day to RTI applicant Dinesh Kumar and you want three months to compile it for others. You have the same staff strength you had when you gave information about Manpreet. This means your intentions are not clear.”
Saini added that he will check the records and after a week, tell the commission how much time he needs to give the information. Irked, Gill said: “You will not tell me how much time you need, I will tell you by when to provide the information.” Following this, he directed Saini to give the information within two weeks, duly attested and legible. Documents and a list of vehicles deployed with ministers should also be provided.
Pleading for leniency, Saini said as he had joined recently and was not aware of the case. Seconding him, his colleague and public information officer (PIO) of the STC, K S Brar, submitted documentary evidence to show that Manpreet’s RTI request was received by STC on January 13 and transferred to the then DCFA, followed by two reminders. However, the government had transferred the previous DCFA, Jasbir Singh Bedi, to the office of DPI (Schools).
But there is no escaping the RTI Act. Gill ordered that Bedi be treated as the deemed PIO in this case. He was also served a showcause notice, asking why penalty should not be imposed on him for delaying and denying information and why compensation should not be paid to the complainant for detriment suffered. The SIC directed Bedi to make written submissions in the form of an affidavit before the next date of hearing, which was fixed as August 24.
Interestingly, the STC officers urged the commission to write in the order that they be provided temporary staff for the job, but the SIC said he was not authorised to do so.
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