The Times of India: Anjaya Anparthi:Tuesday, November 29, 2011.
NAGPUR: The state information commission (SIC) has ordered disciplinary action against executive engineer of Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Co Ltd (Mahatransco) for delay in providing information under Right to Information Act. A farmer from Wardha had appealed against delay.
The farmer Ravindra Jawlekar received copy of the commission order on November 23. The SIC has ruled that the reply of public information officer and executive engineer Kishori Mitra on delay in providing information is unacceptable. Therefore, SIC has directed the chief engineer or competent authority of Mahatransco to initiate disciplinary action against Mitra under Section 20(2) of RTI Act.
Jawlekar told TOI, Mahatransco, Nagpur Zone, had issued a notice to him regarding construction of towers to lay 400 KV Koradi-Wardha transmission line on his field near Wardha. "I submitted an application under RTI Act to chief engineer, Mahatransco, Nagpur Zone, seeking information regarding laying of towers etc on November 30, 2010. Meanwhile, I also filed a petition with Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission in December 2010 challenging the notice of Mahatransco. As per provisions of RTI Act, the information was to be provided before January 2, 2011. But the Mahatransco officials provided it on March 8, 2011. The final hearing on my petition in MERC was held on March 4, 2011," he said.
Jawlekar further said that the information provided was also incomplete and incorrect. "I went for a second appeal under Section 19 (3) of RTI Act before SIC, Nagpur Bench. The matter was heard on August 6, 2011, in which Mitra, chief engineer S H Kawale, and superintending engineer S H Bahadure were present. I collected the copy of order from the SIC office on November 23. The disciplinary action has been directed against Mitra with commission saying that the information should have been provided before January 2, 2011," he said.
"I am partially satisfied with the order and planning to submit a request with SIC, Nagpur Bench, to issue supplementary/adjunct order for complete and correct information and also financial punishment on the officials concerned as per Section 20(1) of RTI Act. If the supplementary/adjunct order is not issued within reasonable period, I may file a writ petition with Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court," the farmer said.