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| RTI application rejected on flimsy grounds | | RTIM appeals SIC to intervene | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Feb 3: With an aim of denying information, the Public Information Officer (PIO) of Higher Education Department Civil Secretariat Jammu has refused to provide information to a retired Professor on the grounds that he has sent postal order to PIO instead of sending the same to Accounts Officer. The retired Professor has been moving from pillar to post from last more than a year as his grievance about pension fixation is not being addressed while his juniors have already been entitled to the higher grade for which he was entitled. He tried to use RTI law but feels to have been dejected
Details available with Early Times reveal that PIO in Higher Education Department Shabir Ahmad Baba who is the Under Secretary to Government vide his communication No : HE/RTI/2019 Dated 17.01.2019 has informed Dr Nazir Azad information seeker he had not paid fees in accordance with the RTI Rules. Dr Nazir claims that he attached a Postal Order of Rs 20 with RTI application which is not illegal as information seeker is supposed to pay photocopying fees as well and that was included.
" I attached Rs 20 Indian Postal Order vide PIO No 04G 903961 and addressed the same to PIO. I attached Rs 20 IPO with the intention that Rs 10 will be included as Xerox for aprox 5 pages of information and Rs 10 as RTI application fees. But I got a letter asking me to pay fees in favour of Accounts officer. The fact of the matter is that in all Administrative Departments there is no post of Accounts Officer as accounts wing is headed by Director Finance or Financial Adviser (FA) /Chief Accounts Officer (FA/CAO) . The PIO / Under Secretary should have identified the Accounts Officer and informed me accordingly which he has not. The RTI Act / Rules say that RTI fees is to be paid in favour of Accounts Officer (AO) and this post is only available in 15 % of the Govt offices while as most of the offices have accountants , Assistant Accounts Officers (AAOs) , FA/Chief Accounts Officer (CAO) or Director Finance. This is not my fault but the fault is in RTI Rules and PIO also has failed to address it in his communication to me " said Dr Nazir Azad while talking to Early Times
Meanwhile Jammu & Kashmir RTI Movement has appealed State Information Commission (SIC) to clear this confusion in J&K RTI Rules 2012.
" In many cases RTI applications are rejected by PIOs when the Postal Order is addressed to them or even Accounts Officer (AO). In many BDO offices there is no post of AO as the same is looked after by Asst Accounts Officer (AAO). When the RTI applicant addresses the postal order to AO or PIO the same is rejected on flimsy grounds. RTI applicant is told that no post of AO exists in the office ? The aim of such PIOs is basically to mislead the information seekers. In Hr Education Department there is post of FA/ CAO while as PIO has told RTI applicant to send Postal Order in favour of AO where shall he find the AO ? This is confusing. The postal order of Rs 20 has also not been returned back to Dr Azad. This indicates PIO is himself not well versed with JK RTI Act / Rules " said Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat, Chairman of RTI Movement. |
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