Daily Excelsior: Jammu: Saturday, February 10, 2018.
Exposing
Government’s claim that no RTI
application was pending for want of reply with any department in the State, the
National Conference member Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo challenged the response and
produced the papers in the House alleging that for the last one year a Govt
department was avoiding reply to an RTI activist and same was the position in
several other departments.
The issue was
raised by NC Member during Question Hour in the upper House today and minister
Incharge R&B, Naeem Akhtar was responding on behalf of Minister Incharge GAD (Chief Minister). The
Member alleged that Government was not giving correct reply. The fact is that
he has documentary evidence of one such case to which information has been
denied by a department for the last about one year. The activist has moved to certain
quarters but concerned officers are avoiding reply.
Kichloo said
it is mandatory to provide information under the Act within 30 days but it is
not happening and there is no proper check on the officers/ departments. He also produced the papers before the
Chairman Legislative Council, Haji Anayat Ali for taking cognizance of the
matter.
The Minister
said departments furnish information to the RTI applicants in the stipulated
time period prescribed in the J&K Right to Information Act/Rules and there
is no pendency as on date. But for this particular case, he would look into the
details. There is provision to file appeal before the Commissioner or the Chief
Information Commissioner. The activists should approach the appealing authority
which takes cognizance of the matter. He said Commission is independent body
and take cognizance of such issues.
Replying to
another question of Sajad Kichloo, Naeem
said that 83 Government
Departments have posted information under Section 4(1)(b) on their websites as
per the Annual Report of 2013-14 published by the J&K State Information
Commission. The final figures would be available only after the SIC finally
compiles the data for the year 2017-18, he added.
He further
said that the SIC is an Autonomous body and has
judicial powers to penalize the
officers if they don’t provide the information to the activists within the
prescribed time.
Naeem said
that the Government would advise the Public authorities to take measures for
bringing transparency in their functioning. Non state subjects can also avail
information under the RTI Act in the state, he added.
Legislators
Girdhari Lal Raina and Ghulam Nabi Monga also raised supplementary questions to
the main question.
Replying to
another question of BJP Member, Vibodh Gupta, Naeem said that the Government shall examine various
issues raised in the representations of the candidates seeking abrogation of
SRO-202 keeping in view its impact on the employment scenario and other allied
factors.
He further
said that J&K Service Selection Board (JKSSB) has made 1,363 selections in
the non-gazetted cadre under SRO-202 of 2015 dated 30-06-2015.
Naeem
disclosed that the annual financial
implication in respect of all non-gazetted appointments made under SRO-202
is Rs 12.13 crore while the total salary
budget of all the employees of the State was to the tune of Rs 17,554.26
crores.
Vibodh said
Rs 12 core not much for the Government as salary budget of the employees was
already more than 17,000 crore, therefore, the Government must re-consider its
decision.
Legislators
Pradeep Sharma from BJP and Qaiser
Jamshed Lone from NC also raised supplementary questions related to the main
question.
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