Greater
Kashmir: Srinagar: Wednesday, September 05, 2018.
“The
denial of information has betrayed the non-seriousness of its officials,” the
RTI applicant said.
Directorate
of school education Kashmir (DSEK) has refused to reply an application filed
under RTI act.
The
application was filed on August 03 with the public information officer (PIO) of
the department, yet the queries have remained unanswered despite the passage of
one month.
The
applicant had sought information regard the functional and dysfunctional
toilets in the schools and the institutions as on date. However the department
failed to furnish the reply.
The
DSEK had forwarded the application to the chief education officers of Kashmir
districts for providing the details sought.
Under
the act, the details had to be produced within a month. Only two CEOs Srinagar
and Budgam have submitted the details.
While
the department failed to provide the information under RTI act to the
applicant, Greater Kashmir accessed the official records and published a story
on August 14 on the schools without toilets across state.
The
denial of the information has raised questions over the accountability in the
department.
The
department as per section 4 RTI Act has to keep its official website updated
with the details concerning the public.
“The
denial of information has betrayed the non-seriousness of its officials,” the
RTI applicant said.
Meanwhile,
an official said the department had constructed toilets in almost all the
schools few years ago under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. “However, these toilets
didn’t last long due to substandard work,” he said.
The
official said most of the toilets are dysfunctional now which raises a question
as to how NoC was given to the contractor or the executing agency which had
constructed these toilet blocks.
Secretary
school education department Rigzin Sampheal and DSEK G N Itoo didn’t respond to
calls from this newspaper.
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