The Telegraph: Shubhankar Chakrawborty: Sunday, May 20, 2018.
OFFICIAL'S ABSENCE AT HEARING ON HERITAGE IRKS COMMISSION
College Street: The state information commission has pulled up the registrar of Presidency University for failing to attend a hearing on May 10 related to complaints about tampering with the heritage structure in the name of beautification.
The university was represented at the hearing by development officer Kaustav Kanti Nandi, who is also special public information officer (SPIO) of the institution.
Commission sources said the panel had summoned, along with the SPIO, the first appellate authority, which in Presidency's case is registrar.
The commission has also said in its observation - a copy of which is with Metro - that the first appellate authority "has not performed his duty as prescribed by the RTI Act" by failing to reply to appellants within 30 days of the receipt of the appeal.
About the absence of the registrar at the hearing, state information commissioner G.M.P. Reddy said: "The (first) appellate authority and registrar, Presidency University, did not attend the hearing and no intimation regarding not attending the hearing was sent in this regard to the commission. The commission expects the presence of the public authority when they are called for attending the hearing."
Asked about the commission's remarks, registrar Debojyoti Konar sent a text message to Metro: "Currently (I am) attending a meeting in another university. SPIO has taken action on behalf of the university as directed by the commission."
Nandi, the SPIO, said the registrar could not attend the hearing as he was "preoccupied with an important engagement".
Three former students of Presidency - Ajanta Dey, Maleni B. Guha and Kathakali Jana - had filed an appeal before the registrar on October 3, 2017, under the right to information act and upon "being aggrieved due to non-receipt of information", appealed to the information commission on November 17.The trio had also approached Presidency vice-chancellor Anuradha Lohia.
They had, among other things, requested the Presidency authorities to "provide all mandatory letters of permission from all... appropriate authorities obtained by the university and also applications made thereof prior to commencing with the following alterations, new constructions and changes made to the heritage precincts of the grade-1 heritage building and campus that constitutes Presidency."
The appellants referred to the removal of the old gate from the entrance to the campus from College Street and the felling of a banyan tree near the gate. The commission scheduled the hearing for May 10.
During the hearing, development officer Nandi tabled a report containing what he said information sought by the three appellants.
Jana, one of the appellants, said on Friday: "We sought time for going through the report and find out whether proper and complete information has been provided."
The matter will again come up for hearing on May 31. The commission has asked the SPIO and the registrar to attend the hearing.