Hindustan
Times: Chandigarh: Monday, 23 March 2015.
The state
information commission has pulled up the Haryana public relations (PR) and
cultural affairs department, which is primarily meant to disseminate
information, for its failure to provide information under the Right to
Information (RTI) Act.
The case
pertains to an Ambala-based applicant who had sought from the state public
information officer (SPIO) of the PR department about the outcome of an inquiry
which had been ordered on his complaint in 2013 against the appointment of a
photographer in the department. State
information commissioner Samir Mathur in his order said that the perusal of the
reply by SPIO displayed his helplessness in furnishing the most elementary
information.
Stating that
the commission was informed that the first reference was made on September 26,
2014, a reminder was given on October 22, 2014 and the second reminder on
December 17, 2014, it said no information had been received from SPIO till
February 19 this year.
“It is quite
evident that the department has not been taking applications under RTI Act
seriously,” the order read.
It added,
“Perhaps, the lack of penalty on this department is the reason for this
approach. There is no doubt that in this case, there has been slippage both in
terms of time taken as well as the unwillingness to provide the information
which amounts to denial of information…’’.
The order
also noted that all the SPIOs be issued show cause notices for delay and denial
of information under the RTI Act and they would be liable to pay a penalty of
`250 per day subject to maximum of `25,000 under the provisions of section
20(1) of the RTI Act, 2005. The commission has listed the case of his show
cause notice for April 6 and also asked all the SPIOs for their personal
presence on that day.
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