Early Times Report
Jammu, Nov 9: Revenue Department officials in Kathua are yet to provide exact details of revenue extracts to an information seeker who sought the same under RTI about expansion of National Highway (NH) in the district.
As already reported, the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Kathua who is also the Public Information Officer (PIO) in the DC office, had assured State Information Commission (SIC) that he will provide all the necessary records to the information seeker under State RTI Act about the land which has been acquired for the expansion of NH in the area. The information seeker was earlier denied record by the Tehsildar concerned.
Details available with Early Times reveal that one Gurmukh Singh, R/O Kunjwani, Jammu, filed second appeal under Section 16 of the J&K RTI Act, 2009 before the SIC on 07-06-2016, stating that he had filed an application under RTI before Collector, PW(R&B), Kathua, seeking following information:
I) Circular, if any issued by Revenue Department regarding acquisition of land for construction of road in village Chak Ram Chank, Tehsil and District, Kathua.
II) Copy of any authentication for acquisition of said land. III) Total area of land acquired out of Khasra No. 211/199 and Khasra No. 206, situated at Chak Ram Chand, Kathua which has come under National Highway and under Lachipur Road.
IV) Total area of land out of above referred khasra numbers which is under possession of Kana Lohar.
V) Name of beneficiaries who received compensation of the land acquired for construction of road out of above referred khasras and documents furnished by each beneficiary in support of their claim of compensation.
That Collector, PW(R&B), Kathua forwarded RTI application to Executive Engineer, PW(R&B), Kathua, who in turn forwarded it to Tehsildar, Kathua under Clause 6(3) of the Act for providing information, but Tehsildar, Kathua denied information. That aggrieved with the denial of information by Tehsildar, Kathua, appellant filed first appeal before Superintending Engineering, PW(R&B), Kathua, who in turn transferred it to Deputy Commissioner, Kathua vide letter dated: 14-03-2016. The aggrieved person alleges that former Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Kathua provided wrong, incomplete and misleading information vide reply dated: 09-04-2016. Accordingly, appellant has filed 2nd appeal before SIC with prayer that correct and complete information be provided to him and also explanation be sought from the concerned for delaying the information and also for providing wrong and misleading information.
SIC in its order ruled, "Dr. Bharat Bhusan, ADC-cum-PIO, DC office Kathua and appellant Gurmukh Singh were heard via video conferencing from NIC, Kathua on August 22nd . Additional Deputy Commissioner (PIO) submitted that the RTI application has been responded to by his predecessor, Shri Ravinder Kumar, the then ADC, Kathua vide letter dated: 09-04-2016. However, appellant submitted that he has not been provided complete information. Upon hearing the parties and on perusal of information provided, Commission is of the view that appellant has to be provided with revenue extract of land under khasra numbers 211/99 and 206, as asked for in the RTI application and also name of beneficiaries along with amount of compensation disbursed for these khasra numbers. During proceeding at SIC on 22.8.2016 , ADC submitted that the revenue extract relevant to these khasra numbers will be provided within two weeks. In view of the above, the appeal field before the Commission is disposed with direction to the ADC, Kathua (PIO) to provide revenue extract and other related information sought by the appellant within two weeks of the receipt of this order and file a compliance report before the Commission within two weeks thereafter." |
