Times of India: Chandigarh: Tuesday, 9 July 2024.
The state information
commissioner (SIC) of Punjab has ordered the office of block development and
panchayat officer (BDPO) in Nabha in Punjab’s Patiala district to compensate an
RTI applicant with Rs 5,000 for the harassment and inconvenience caused.
The applicant, Gurpreet Singh from Thuha Patti village in Nabha, had requested information under the RTI Act in July 2023 regarding the gram panchayat of his village from Jan 1, 2019 to July 31, 2023. The SIC observed that the case was scheduled for June 25 this year and the public information officer (PIO)-cum-BDPO claimed in March that the information was provided to the applicant Gurpreet Singh by panchayat secretary Amrik Singh. However, the applicant allegedly refused to receive it on multiple occasions, leading to the information being sent by registered post on June 6.
The commission noted, "There was no physical record available with the PIO about the information supplied to the applicant before June 6 this year. In fact, complete information in proper format was made available to the commission on July 2 this year. The supply of information was inordinately delayed and that the complainant Gurpreet Singh was made suffer for no fault of his own.”
As per the commission’s directive, the BDPO submitted a point-wise reply to the RTI application on July 2.
The applicant, Gurpreet Singh from Thuha Patti village in Nabha, had requested information under the RTI Act in July 2023 regarding the gram panchayat of his village from Jan 1, 2019 to July 31, 2023. The SIC observed that the case was scheduled for June 25 this year and the public information officer (PIO)-cum-BDPO claimed in March that the information was provided to the applicant Gurpreet Singh by panchayat secretary Amrik Singh. However, the applicant allegedly refused to receive it on multiple occasions, leading to the information being sent by registered post on June 6.
The commission noted, "There was no physical record available with the PIO about the information supplied to the applicant before June 6 this year. In fact, complete information in proper format was made available to the commission on July 2 this year. The supply of information was inordinately delayed and that the complainant Gurpreet Singh was made suffer for no fault of his own.”
As per the commission’s directive, the BDPO submitted a point-wise reply to the RTI application on July 2.
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