Faridabad police fail to furnish RTI info on tenant verification

Tribune India: Faridabad: Sunday, 27 November 2022.
The police have failed to provide a detailed response to a Right to Information (RTI) application in which the applicant had sought information on the law under which verification process of tenant is carried out.
Details that had been sought:

• The RTI applicant had asked the police to provide certified copies of the Act under which the verification was mandated
• He also sought information about the regulation under which the police collect charges to conduct the verification
• Details of number of verifications done since January 2021
• The police reply read no SOP or record of the information on several points raised in the application was available

The applicant, Ajay Bahl, in his application dated August 9 had sought information on eight points. He had asked the police to provide him certified copies of the Act (law) under which the verification process had been mandated, the regulation under which the police collects charges to verify a tenant, number of verification done since January, 2021, and cases registered or action taken against the property owners for not getting the verification done.
As per the reply that the police submitted on September 17, the police stations concerned have no information about the majority of queries raised. The reply read no SOP or record of the information on several points raised in the application was available. However, the web portal of the district police mentions that an employee, servant or tenant had to download the verification form, and submit it to the police station concerned with relevant documents and copy of the papers to the president of society’s resident welfare association.
Bahl said that the police didn’t have the information regarding the norms that had to be followed while conducting the verification process. They only put their stamp and collect the verification charges of Rs 500 per application, he added.
“No provision to collect charges for the verification has been mentioned in the reply. However, but the practice has been going on despite no clarity on the rules or provisions,” Bahl added. He said the department should refund an amount of about Rs 25.70 lakh collected from 5,140 persons since January 2021 for the verification process.
He added that he would file a complaint with the State Information Commission as the department had not only failed to provide detailed information to his queries but also had been collecting charges for the verification.