Hindustan Times: Chandigarh: Saturday, 24 August
2024.
Central Information Commission slaps notice on the plea of an NGO that had sought information regarding a tabletop behind Neelam Cinema in Sector 17
The Central Information
Commission, New Delhi, has issued a show-cause notice to the public information
officers of the Chandigarh engineering department for not providing information
sought under the RTI Act.
Harman Singh Sidhu, president, NGO ArriveSAFE, had filed an application under the RTI Act on February 3, 2023, asking for copies of the “architectural plan and technical specifications” in the request for proposal/tender document of the 180-metre tabletop behind Neelam Cinema in Sector 17.
After no response from the public information officers (PIO), the appellant filed the first appeal on March 10, 2023. It was heard on April 18, 2023, where a PIO stated that the requested information was with the consultant.
The First Appellate Authority (FAA) directed him to supply the documents as and when received from the consultant.
Feeling aggrieved with non-compliance of FAA’s order, the appellant approached the commission with the second appeal on June 15, 2023.
The appellant pleaded that FAA’s order had not been complied with by the respondent till date, and sought imposition of penalty on the erring PIO for such faults.
The commission, after adverting to the facts and circumstances of the case, observed that the core contention raised by the appellant was non-compliance of FAA’s order. Further, there is nothing on record filed by the respondent to clarify as to whether FAA’s order has been complied with or not.
The PIOs have neither made any efforts to comply with the FAA’s order even upon receipt of hearing notice. Besides, the PIOs did not appear before the commission despite hearing notice having been served to them.
“This shows that the PIOs did not have any regard for the RTI Act as well as the commission. In view of the above, the then PIO, and the present PIO are show caused as to why maximum penalty under Section 20 (1) of the RTI Act should not be imposed against each of them for not providing the information and not appearing before the Commission despite notice,” stated the commission.
The commission further directed the respondent (present PIO) to comply with the FAA’s order and provide a revised updated point-wise information to the appellant as per the provisions of the RTI Act within four weeks.
In September 2022, the UT administration had started constructing a 180-metre-long tabletop pathway on the road behind Neelam Cinema in Sector 17 for the convenience of pedestrians.
Sidhu said, “It is unimaginable that the Chandigarh administration is clueless about the details of construction activities being undertaken in the heart of the City Beautiful.”
He also claimed that the project had been shoddily executed. “It is inaccessible for the physically disabled, shakes cyclists and two-wheeler riders to the bone, and is in violation of standards of Harmonised Guidelines and Standards for Universal Accessibility in India, 2021, ministry of housing and urban affairs, and para 41 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016,” he added.
Central Information Commission slaps notice on the plea of an NGO that had sought information regarding a tabletop behind Neelam Cinema in Sector 17
Harman Singh Sidhu, president, NGO ArriveSAFE, had filed an application under the RTI Act on February 3, 2023, asking for copies of the “architectural plan and technical specifications” in the request for proposal/tender document of the 180-metre tabletop behind Neelam Cinema in Sector 17.
After no response from the public information officers (PIO), the appellant filed the first appeal on March 10, 2023. It was heard on April 18, 2023, where a PIO stated that the requested information was with the consultant.
The First Appellate Authority (FAA) directed him to supply the documents as and when received from the consultant.
Feeling aggrieved with non-compliance of FAA’s order, the appellant approached the commission with the second appeal on June 15, 2023.
The appellant pleaded that FAA’s order had not been complied with by the respondent till date, and sought imposition of penalty on the erring PIO for such faults.
The commission, after adverting to the facts and circumstances of the case, observed that the core contention raised by the appellant was non-compliance of FAA’s order. Further, there is nothing on record filed by the respondent to clarify as to whether FAA’s order has been complied with or not.
The PIOs have neither made any efforts to comply with the FAA’s order even upon receipt of hearing notice. Besides, the PIOs did not appear before the commission despite hearing notice having been served to them.
“This shows that the PIOs did not have any regard for the RTI Act as well as the commission. In view of the above, the then PIO, and the present PIO are show caused as to why maximum penalty under Section 20 (1) of the RTI Act should not be imposed against each of them for not providing the information and not appearing before the Commission despite notice,” stated the commission.
The commission further directed the respondent (present PIO) to comply with the FAA’s order and provide a revised updated point-wise information to the appellant as per the provisions of the RTI Act within four weeks.
In September 2022, the UT administration had started constructing a 180-metre-long tabletop pathway on the road behind Neelam Cinema in Sector 17 for the convenience of pedestrians.
Sidhu said, “It is unimaginable that the Chandigarh administration is clueless about the details of construction activities being undertaken in the heart of the City Beautiful.”
He also claimed that the project had been shoddily executed. “It is inaccessible for the physically disabled, shakes cyclists and two-wheeler riders to the bone, and is in violation of standards of Harmonised Guidelines and Standards for Universal Accessibility in India, 2021, ministry of housing and urban affairs, and para 41 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016,” he added.
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