Nyooz: Hyderabad: Saturday, August 20, 2016.
The Central
Information Commission (CIC) has hauled up the CEO of Secunderabad Cantonment
Board for mismanagement of RTI affairs in the organisation. CJ Karira, a
Secunderabad-based RTI activist had sent four separate applications to the
cantonment board and none of them were replied. He was the one who trained CIC
officers about the RTI Act and helped them in implementing the suo motu
disclosure under Section 4, mandated under the RTI Act 2005. The CEO, who is
the First Appellate Authority (officer responsible to provide information that
has been demanded), did not conduct first appeal hearings or pass any orders on
his first appeals though they were all filed within the mandated time limit.
The CIC,
while disposing off two second appeals filed by Karira, ordered the director
general of Defence Estates to take immediate corrective action. Based on the
appellants pleadings, the CIC also issued a show cause notice to the Central
Public Information Officers for their refusal to provide information as it appeared
to be in bad faith. It also directed the Secunderabad Cantonment Board to
provide all the information sought within 15 days. Meanwhile, Karira said, “If
this what I face, one can only imagine the plight of ordinary citizens.” He is
now lodging a complaint with the director general of Defence Estates, about the
shoddy implementation of this Act in the Board.
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