Times of India: Ahmadabad: Tuesday, 16 May 2023.
Three staff members of the town development and estate department of the municipal central zone office, had to pay fines for not providing information on time.
These fines were imposed due to delays in providing information to the applicant within 30 days as stipulated under the RTI Act. State information commissioner, Virendra Pandya, noted that the three officials had information handy with them and also were found guilty of repeatedly ignoring the commission orders as well.
While TDO, Girish Patel, was fined Rs 15,000, two other officers from same department zonal office Harshad Bhojak and S J Kadaliya were fined Rs 5,000 each. The three officers were serving in the Dariyapiur ward of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) in the estate and town development department.
Kalupur area resident, Pankaj Bhatt, in September 2021 had sought information on copies of letters written by former mayor Amit Shah, former MLA Farukh Sheikh, Kaushik Patel and MLA Imran Khedawala and councillor Mayur Dave on the civic works to be undertaken within the ward.
“The three officials kept delaying providing information despite reminders form the state information commission,” says Bhatt. He adds, “One of the three officers is being fined for the third time. While those who file many RTI applications are blacklisted the local body fails to take action against officers who refuse to provide information despite being fined a number of times,” says Bhatt. The SIC had ordered the officers to provide the information within 15 days. But it was not headed too.
Earlier in May, SIC, KM Adhvaryu had fined Bhojak, Rs 5,000, for causing unnecessary delay in providing basic information that should have been made available.
Three staff members of the town development and estate department of the municipal central zone office, had to pay fines for not providing information on time.
These fines were imposed due to delays in providing information to the applicant within 30 days as stipulated under the RTI Act. State information commissioner, Virendra Pandya, noted that the three officials had information handy with them and also were found guilty of repeatedly ignoring the commission orders as well.
While TDO, Girish Patel, was fined Rs 15,000, two other officers from same department zonal office Harshad Bhojak and S J Kadaliya were fined Rs 5,000 each. The three officers were serving in the Dariyapiur ward of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) in the estate and town development department.
Kalupur area resident, Pankaj Bhatt, in September 2021 had sought information on copies of letters written by former mayor Amit Shah, former MLA Farukh Sheikh, Kaushik Patel and MLA Imran Khedawala and councillor Mayur Dave on the civic works to be undertaken within the ward.
“The three officials kept delaying providing information despite reminders form the state information commission,” says Bhatt. He adds, “One of the three officers is being fined for the third time. While those who file many RTI applications are blacklisted the local body fails to take action against officers who refuse to provide information despite being fined a number of times,” says Bhatt. The SIC had ordered the officers to provide the information within 15 days. But it was not headed too.
Earlier in May, SIC, KM Adhvaryu had fined Bhojak, Rs 5,000, for causing unnecessary delay in providing basic information that should have been made available.
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