Rising Kashmir: Jammu: Wednesday, August 20, 2014.
The Employees
Provident Fund Organization has been directed by the Jammu and Kashmir State
Information Commission to refund fees to an RTI applicant and implement
pro-active disclosure section 4 of Jammu and Kashmir Right to Information Act
2009 within 2 months.
These
directions were passed by the Information Commissioner Sudesh Kumar Sharma
while disposing off a complaint filed by RTI Activist Raman Sharma against the
Fund Organization where the applicant had alleged that Public Information
officer of the EPFO did not provide him the complete information within 30 days
despite having been paid the RTI fees of Rs 96.
In the
complaint it was submitted by the Information seeker that he had sent an RTI
application to the EPFO, Rail Head Complex Jammu which was duly received by
them on 01/04/2014 and as per the provisions of the act, he was supposed to get
the information within 30 days but in his case the PIO did not provide him the
information within specified time but
instead on the 30th days sent him an intimation demanding addition fees
in lieu of 48 pages, the applicant deposited the fees in the bank account of
the department and apprised the PIO about the same but he did not get the
information and the actual information was sent him almost after a week later
which is beyond the stipulated time period of the act.
During the
course of hearing the applicant also apprised the SIC that the EPFO offices’ at
Jammu and Srinagar have not implemented section 4 of the J & K RTI Act and
they must be directed to implement the same.
Considering
the prayer of the complainant the Information Commissioner on 08/Aug/2014
directed the Employees Fund Organization to implement the mandatory pro-active
section within 2 months and also refund the fees of the information seeker.
In the
information received by Raman Sharma it is being revealed that there is no
fixed time limit for refund of claims to the employees and there are hundreds
of employees whose claims remain
un-cleared by the fund organization for months together.
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