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| Now, SFRI says records damaged in floods | | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, Mar 5: It is now after almost every month that a government department claims to have lost its official record when the information is sought under Right to Information Act. In the latest case J&K’s sole Forest Training Institute namely State Forest Research Institute (SFRI) claims that it has lost its official record in 2014 floods.
Details available with Early Times reveal that an information namely Nazir Ahmad Dhobi filed a 2nd appeal before the State Information Commission (SIC) on 11-12-2015 under Section 16 of the J&K RTI Act, 2009 against SFRI . Nazir Ahmad Dhibi sought attention of the Commission that PIO, State Forest Research Institute, J&K has provided him false information as same was sought under RTI filed before the Institute on 22-09-2015. In response to point 1 of the RTI application, Assistant PIO, vide his letter dated: 01-01-2015 informed the information seeker that there are only six need base watch and ward labours in Mazdoor capacity, but in reply to his first appeal, PIO/Joint Director vide his letter dated: 23-11-2015 gave another set of seasonal labours (14 in number) which had proved the information provided by APIO as false. In response to point 3, APIO stated that the Muster Rolls upto September, 2 -2014 were submerged/damaged in devastating floods in Divisional Office, Sonawar. The appellant argued before the Commission that if the Muster Rolls were damaged in floods, then how the APIO had provided Muster Rolls for the month of July/August/September, 2014 and thus had concealed Muster Rolls for the month of June, October/November/December, 2014. Information seeker (Appellant before SIC) has averred that it is as such clear that APIO is lying. The appellant requested Commission to reprimand the PIO for deceiving information seeker. In response to the 2nd appeal, Naseer Ahmad Kichloo, Joint Director-cum PIO, State Forest Research Institute (SFRI) J&K filed a detailed reply vide letter dated: 02- 02-2016, submitting that with regard to point 1, the information provided to the appellant regarding six casual labourers was pertaining to such casual labourers who are working in the plantation units for watch and ward on continuous basis. Since the applicant did not express satisfaction with regard to the already provided information by the APIO, the said information was supplemented by the PIO giving list of seasonal labourers who are working in Seer Nursery on seasonal basis as per requirement and availability of funds for raising of plants and subsequent maintenance.
The PIO told in his report submitted before SIC that information so provided was meant to satisfy the applicant by giving the list of seasonal labourers working in Seer Nursery who are not paid wages on continuous basis, but only as per requirement of the work of raising saplings and their maintenance purely on the mazdoor capacity.
SIC after hearing both parties passed following direction: “FAA, PIO and appellant were heard during the hearing. Appellant stated that the information has not been provided as per RTI application and the information so given is incorrect and incomplete. Honble CIC has desired the FAA/PIO to give an affidavit stating therein that the records relating to the information sought by the appellant were submerged during the floods of 2014. In compliance to the directions of the Commission, PIO has filed an affidavit vide letter dated: 26-02-2016, stating that the Divisional Forest Officer, Research Forest Division, Srinagar (sole custodian of the record) has filed the affidavit stating that the records were submerged during the flood of September, 2014. That on the basis of affidavits filed by the DFO, Research Forest Division, Srinagar (sole custodian of the record) who is also the PIO affirm that the record of the Division has been washed away/destroyed due to the flood of September, 2014.
While talking to Early Times,RTI activist Umar Javaid said that it is habit of PIO’s to give an affidavit to SIC vis a vis lost of records in floods . “ We demand that Govt must constitute a committee to probe these issues. Mere filing an affidavit is not enough , the matter should be investigated and all those Govt organizations who have claimed that their records have been washed away in floods must be questioned,” Umar added. |
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