Pune Mirror: Pune: Friday,
April 19, 2013.
After the
controversy over the Vehicle Entry Tax (VET) in the Khadki Cantonment Board
(KCB), it has now been revealed that public information officers (PIO) of the
richest cantonment in the state are allegedly violating the Central
government’s Right to Information Act (RTI) by using it as a source of revenue
generation.
PIOs here
have been asking for more money than stipulated under the Act in the name of
attesting copies of RTI responses while KCB charges Rs 25 per attested page, as
per RTI regulations and rules of the 2005 Act, it states that information
should be given at the rate of Rs 2 per page.
When asked,
officials clarified that the extra charges came into force after a resolution
was passed at a board meeting, because information seekers were too often
insisting on attested copies as opposed to plain photocopies, fearing that the
latter were not authentic enough for official purposes.
Sameer Khan,
president of the International United Human Rights Association (IUHRA) raised
the issue, claiming that instead of using RTI for a noble cause, the Board is
using its provisions to raise revenue, adding that such expensive charges would
deter people from claiming the benefits of the Act.
Khan said, “I
had sought information about the category of vehicles to which VET is applied
and the total number of contractors deployed to recover this tax. This query
also asked about resolutions passed in Board meetings over the last five years.
This was when
we were told by the board’s information officer that we were required to
deposit Rs 25 for certified copies, and that Rs 2 per page applies of if only a
plain photocopy is required.” Khan said that though he got information under
the Act, it cost him more than he had expected he was forced to pay Rs 200 for
only eight copies.
He said he
will now be escalating the issue. Vijay Kumbhar, noted RTI activist, said, “In
KCB’s case, it is absolutely wrong to charge such a huge amount to deliver
information.
However,
people are insisting that officials attest the copies, as they wish to use the
documents as authentic copies and do not trust the information on plain paper
without a stamp.” He added, “If there is a letterhead, there is no need to take
another stamp attesting that it is a true copy.
Another
option is that the authority should stamp each page mentioning that this is
information issued under RTI, to prevent suspicions of tampering.” “Some documents
are to be submitted in court, so people think they have no option but to
acquire attested copies.
However, as
per my experience, there is no need for attestation as the cover letter is
enough to certify it authentic. If the court finds it forged, it is the
responsibility of the PIO to prove its authenticity,” added Kumbhar.
V V Takawale,
central Pubic Information Officer of KCB, insisted that this is no violation of
the RTI Act as it was started due to a board resolution. He added, “We have
been providing both options to information seekers as people feel there is no
authenticity in plain photocopies, they prefer getting it attested.
If they
simply want to procure information, they are free to get only photocopies of
documents. But if they want to use it for some purpose like in court,
admissions or a job, then they have to pay the price, as after getting attested
it attains the status of a true copy.”
When asked
why the Board does not voluntarily mention on each page that this is information
given under RTI, he said, “There is no need for such a thing. A plain copy with
a cover letter is sufficient to indicate authenticity. It is only because
people insist on attestation that we charge them extra money. It is up to them
what option to avail of.”
If there is a
letterhead, there is no need to take another stamp. Otherwise, the authority
should stamp each page saying this is information under RTI, to prevent
suspicions of tampering.
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