Tribune: Goa: Wednesday, November 28, 2018.
In a move that could dilute the essence
of the Right to Information () Act, the BJP-led state government has issued an
order charging a whopping Rs 1,000 per page for information pertaining to
comunidades.
This recently came to light when a
citizen who had applied to the administrator of comunidades, , for four RTI
copies of details of land allotted by the Serula comunidade in Porvorim, was
asked to pay Rs 1,000 per page.
“I was shocked when I was told to pay Rs
1,000 per page for the information,” an RTI applicant told TOI. “I paid the
amount, but what about the common man?”
Another applicant who had applied for
information before the administrator of comunidade, North Goa, and was asked to
pay Rs 1,000 per page, immediately approached the revenue department to
complain about the administrator of comunidades for charging ‘huge’ fees.
Another RTI applicant told TOI that he was asked to pay Rs 50,000 for 50 pages
for information relating to comunidades.
A government officer said that as per the
RTI Act, if the fees are not prescribed, the public information officer can
charge Rs 2 per page for information, and if fees are prescribed, then the PIO
is obliged to charge as per the prescribed fees.
The exorbitant amount of Rs 1,000 for
comunidate-related information has its roots in an order dated March 27, 2018,
issued by the undersecretary of revenue, Sudin Natu.
‘N Goa comunidade admin misread words in
order’
Prescribed fees for final possession
certificate and certified copy of documents is Rs 1,000,” he said.
He told STOI that there was a request
from the administrator of comunidades, North Goa, to increase various fees.
They then submitted a proposal, and, after the approval of the state
government, the new order was issued. “The administrator of comunidades, North
Goa, has misinterpreted the words in the order and they have started charging
Rs 1,000 per page for certified copies and copies under RTI,” Natu said.
“We need to correct the order; it is in
process.”
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