Chandigarh Tribune: Amritsar: Tuesday,
May 31, 2016.
While
accusing two officials of the State Information Commission (SIC) of indulging
in corrupt practices and misusing their position, a local resident, Gurmeet
Singh Babloo, the president of the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Youth Front, has filed
a complaint to the DGP, Vigilance, seeking a high-level probe in this regard.
Babloo had
approached the SIC after he failed to get certain information regarding a
public servant from the public information officer (PIO) of the local Municipal
Corporation under the Right to Information Act.
The SIC had
disposed of the case on April 26, stating that “available information has since
been provided to the appellant and as such no further action is required in the
case”.
This despite
the fact that Babloo had given a written submission to the SIC that he had not
received any information under the RTI, which was being withheld deliberately
by certain persons to harass him. He claimed that even former Commissioner
Harinder Pal Singh Mann had directed the nodal officer concerned of the local
MC to provide the information. He said he had also urged the commission to hear
him through video-conferencing at Amritsar.
Babloo had
sought information regarding moveable and immovable assets, residential
address, home rent allowance claimed, medical claims, foreign trips and loan
raised by a senior Municipal Corporation official under the RTI Act on August
3, 2015. He alleged that till now, he had not received the information while
the case was closed in as “shabby and hurried” manner as in normal
circumstances it could not have been closed. However, he alleged, it was done
as the said official had “greased the palm” of officials at the SIC.
He said a
third party was allowed to interfere in the proceedings while the commission
failed to inform him about it.
State
Information Commissioner Ajit Singh Chandurain said certain information sought
by Babloo was personal in nature, which could not be provided under the RTI Act
while ‘relevant’ information was provided to him. Also, he had failed to appear
before the commission to present his side. Therefore, the case was disposed of.
He termed the allegations levelled by him against the officials of the SIC as
“baseless” and therefore without any ground.
.JPG)
.JPG)
