Akshay Azad
Early Times Report
Jammu, Nov 1: The Jammu Municipal corporation has invited sharp criticism for adopting discriminatory approach in Jammu, wherein a blue eyed shopkeeper has not been charged for raising hoardings, incurring losses to the tune of Lakhs to state exchequer. In response to an RTI application filed by an RTI activist, Dr. Rehmatullah Khora, the Public Information Officer (PIO) of Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) revealed that no fee was collected from a noted showroom owner, who had raised hoardings at several prominent places in Jammu city last month.
Dr. Rehmatullah had filed an RTI application on September 14, 2015, seeking application along with supporting documents of the applicant, who had raised hoardings at various places in city in the name of “Samudarika” fashionable apparels, a house of designer collection of weeding lehengas, on rent 34/B North Bahu Plaza, Jammu. Exactly, after one month of filing application, RTI applicant got reply vide order number JMC/RB/RTI-707-08 dated, 15/10/2015, signed by Assistant Commissioner Subah Mehta. Surprisingly the reply of above said question reads, “The information may be treated as nil”.
More surprisingly, the replies to all other queries of the applicant were same as, “The information may be treated as nil”.
Only in reply to query, regarding rate per square foot for the hoardings to be raised in JMC limits, is given in which Rs. 5 is mentioned as per square feet per day for the sites with JMC, excluding sites given on contract.
The RTI applicant said that when he personally approached Assistant Commissioner (R) JMC, Subah Mehta and asked her reasons for not collecting charge from the showroom owner, she replied that she didn’t know anything as why charges were not collected.
RTI applicant informed Early Times that five or six hoardings were raised in various cross points of city including Panama Chowk, Gole Market, Bahu Plaza beside other areas.
“Hoardings of size 20X40 were raised at five to six spots and as per estimate of Rs. 5 per sq feet per day, a loss of nearly Rs. 5 Lakh to state exchequer is incurred”, he said, adding that after he had filed the RTI applicant, all the hoardings were removed after only few days but remnants were still there.
Accusing a nexus running in JMC, Dr. Khora demanded enquiry into the matter and action against the responsible officials in the nexus, who selectively charged and have been incurring losses to government exchequer.
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