SIC imposes Rs 5,000 fine on Mohali municipal corporation, issues penalty notice

Times of India: Mohali: Monday, November 26, 2018.

The State Information Commission (SIC), Punjab, has taken the municipal corporation here to task for failing to provide information under RTI within the stipulated time frame. The commission imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the MC and also issued a show-cause notice for explaining why Rs 25,000 penalty should not be imposed upon it.

The reply is to be filed by the MC during the next hearing date slated for January 16, 2019, reads the order. The commission has taken serious notice of non-production of factual records and the irregularities committed in the Mohali municipal corporation.

The SIC in its orders opined that looking at the callous, lackadaisical and highly irresponsible attitude of the MC Officer, Sarabjit Singh, assistant commissioner-cumpublic information officer (PIO), it had issued a showcause notice under Section 20 of the Right to Information Act, 2005, as to why a penalty of Rs 250 per day and subject to maximum of Rs 25,000 may not be imposed on him for his failure to give the required information within the stipulated time. In case he wants to give any justification for delay, he may file his reply before the next date of hearing on or before January 16, 2019, it stated.

Kanwal Nain Singh Sodhi, a resident of Sector 70, here had sought information regarding the stray dogs sterilization process through RTI in December 2016 but the MC failed to provide the required information. So, Sodhi approached the State Information Commission (SIC) and lodged a complaint in this connection.

The complainant said, “During the 18 hearings stretching over 725 days as on 15 November, Sarabjit Singh, PIO-cum-joint commissioner, and Harwant Singh, chief sanitary inspector, misled the commission as well as the appellant. Incomplete and misleading and fabricated information was provided during the hearing in the commission, whereupon on September 15, the latter ordered the inspection of records. Serious lapses and procedural irregularities were noticed by Surendera M Bhanot, president, RTIFED and PUCL member, who conducted the inspection on behalf of the appellant and pleaded for strong action against the municipal corporation before the commission.”