The News International: Peshawar: Saturday,
January 21, 2017.
The Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information Commission (RTIC) on Thursday imposed Rs20,000
fine on the Public Information Officer (PIO) of the Tehsil Municipal
Administration (TMA), Kohat, for not furnishing information to a requestor and
said that persistent denial of information hinted towards serious
irregularities in the office.
As per the
background of the case, Syed Faizan Ali Shah had filed a request to the TMO
Kohat to provide him information regarding the funds allocated to the TMA Kohat
by the government and a non-governmental organisation (NGO) for installation of
tube-wells in Kohat district during 2008-2015.
He also
sought information about the location of the installed tube-wells and the
expenditures that was incurred.The requestor also sought specific information
about the expenditure and location of the pressure and hand pumps installed by
TMA in Ward No-38 of Kohat.
The PIO Kohat
TMA under the Right to Information Act 2013 was bound to provide the requested
information within 10 working days.However, he failed to do so and the
complainant had to approach the RTIC to file a complaint before the Commission
on April 19, 2016.
The RTIC
issued notice to the TMA Kohat PIO, Farzand Ali Kiyani, serving as tax
superintendent, to provide information to the complainant in 10 working days
but he failed to comply. The Commission sent five notices to him to comply with
the provisions of the RTI law and provide the information but to no avail.
The TMA
provided details of just two tube-wells installed at Jarwanda Road by the NGO
and did not furnish any information about the pressure pumps and hand
pumps.Interestingly, it provided details of the drinking water scheme located
opposite Sabzi Mandi, which were not even sought by the requester.
It also
issued show-cause notice to Kiyani, but he did not bother to send any reply,
according to the RTIC proceedings document.However, the incumbent TMO Kohat,
Asmatullah informed the Commission in a statement on December 14, 2016 that no
record pertaining to the tube-wells and pressure pumps was available with the
TMA. The Commission in its decision issued on Thursday imposed fine of Rs20,000
on the then PIO of the Kohat TMA, Kiyani in accordance with Section 26 of the
RTI Act as he failed to provide the desired information to the requester
despite repeated notices.
Moreover, the
RTIC said during the proceedings it observed that the persistent denial of
information to the complainant by TMA clearly hinted towards some serious
irregularities in the Kohat TMA office.
It said the
TMO’s statement regarding the non-availability of record augmented the
apprehension regarding the irregularities and presumably due to these reasons
the TMA “was blocking the provision of information to a citizen.”
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