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| ZEO asks RTI applicant to pay Rs 30,000? | | Info about MDM in Khansahib zone | | Early Times Report
BUDGAM, Dec 22: An information seeker from remote area of Budgam has been asked to pay Rs 30,000 as xerox charges by the Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) Khansahib educational zone. Information seeker has filed an appeal before Director School Education which is yet to be disposed off.
Details available with Early Times reveal that President Sheikh ul Aalam People Welfare Committee Mujpathree tehsil Khansahib district Budgam sought information from PIO Director School Education about Mid Day Meals supplied to schools in zone Khansahib and details of teachers posted in Khansahib being deployed in other areas. The information was not provided until information seeker filed an appeal before Director School Education Kashmir (DSEK) in July this year. After appeal was filed DSEK alerted Chief Education Officer (CEO) Budgam, who in-turn put a pressure on ZEO Khansahib. The said ZEO in order to avoid the information seeker asked him to pay Rs 30,000.
"The ZEO seems to hasve no knowledge of RTI. It is clearly ,mentioned in J&K RTI Act 2009 , that if information is not provided within 30 days , the PIO cannot charge any fees from RTI applicant and in that case information has to be provided free of cost to RTI applicant. The fees has to be paid by PIO as there are several orders of State Information Commission (SIC) in this regard. Asking information seeker to pay Rs 30,000 means that ZEO has prepared 15000 paged information which is not at all possible. The information being sought is mere 20 to 30 paged information. We filed RTI application in June and the letter from ZEO Khansahib came to us on 15th October ie after 4 months. We demand action to be taken against the erring ZEO" said Syed Mehraj Andrabi RTI activist and a senior member of the welfare committee that filed RTI application.
Pertinent to mention that a poor villager had to surrender some vital information pertaining to Revenue department as he was asked to deposit a whooping amount of Rs 2.56 lakhs as fees under J&K Land Revenue Act. One Abdul Aziz S/O Feroz Din a resident of Surankote Poonch filed 2nd appeal before the State Information Commission (SIC) had filed an RTI application before PIO in the office of Deputy Commissioner, Poonch on 30-11-2015, seeking information on seven points related to Land Revenue records. The information seeker alleges that till 19-04-2016, i.e., date of filing 2nd appeal in the Commission, no information was provided by the respondents ie office of the DC Poonch and respective Tehsildars
On 13.6.2016 while hearing this case the State Information Commission (SIC) heard Mohammad Sageer, Naib Tehsildar, Haveli, Mohammad Ayub, Naib Tehsildar, Surankote and Abid Hussain, Naib Tehsildar, Mandi through video conferencing from NIC, Poonch.
During proceedings on 13-06-2016 via video conferencing , respondents submitted that appellant was asked to deposit fee as photocopy charges, as prescribed under J&K Land Revenue Act vide various references. Respondents submitted copy of letter dated: 13-06-2016, addressed to Deputy Commissioner, Poonch, wherein, it is stated that in compliance to directions of FAA/Deputy Commissioner, appellant was required to attend office of Tehsildar, Surankote vide letter dated: 31-05-2016 for scrutiny of records, as the record sought were voluminous and not readily available in the office. The applicant was asked to deposit an amount of Rs. 2,56,550 (Two Lakh Fifty Six Thousand , Five Hundred and Fifty rupees only) as photocopy charges for Revenue Extract, as per J&K Land Revenue Act. However, applicant submitted a representation, stating that he is unable to deposit requisite fee and as such he does not want to obtain information under RTI Act. Respondents produced/submitted copy of communication of the appellant dated: 11-06-2016 as evidence.
There are many instances wherein information seekers have been asked to pay exorbitant fees by PIO's and the matter has to be addressed , but due to absence of Information Commission in J&K , these cases are piling up ….. |
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