Chandigarh (Face2News)

AMOUNT BE DEDUCTED FROM THE SALARY OF PIO OF BDPO OFFICE NABHA IN TWO INSTALLMENTS

The State Information Commission has imposed a penalty of Rs. 25,000 on Public Information Officer of the O/o Block Development and Panchayat Officer, Nabha for causing inordinate delay of 9 months for proving information to the applicant under the RTI Act, 2005. Disclosing this official spokesperson of the State Information Commission said that Mr. Makhan Singh s/o Jaswinder Singh of village Kot Kalana, Tehsil Nabha, District Patiala has sought information from PIO, O/o  Block Development and Panchayat Officer, Nabha on 27 May, 2015 under section 7 (1) of the RTI Act, 2005. Failing to get the satisfactory information within 30 days, RTI applicant filed complaint with the State Information Commission on 7 October 2015. The commissions adjourned the hearings many a times and provide every chance to the PIO to give the requisite information to the RTI applicant but the PIO failed to provide the information.The commission while deciding the present case in its order recorded that  the conduct of the official needs to be condemned and the ends of justice will be met by imposing necessary penalty of Rs. 25,000  upon Mr. Jaswinder Singh, Panchayat Secretary-cum-PIO having failed to perform his mandated duty. As the delay is of more than nine months, the commission imposes a penalty of Rs. 25000/- upon Mr. Jaswinder Singh, Panchayat Secretary, O/o BDPO, Nabha, Distt. Patiala. The amount of penalty i.e. Rs. 25000/- should be deducted from his salary in two equal monthly installments for the month of August and September and be deposited in the treasury under head 0070-Other Administrative Services-60-Other Services-800-Other Receipts-86-Fees under the Right to Information Act. The BDPO, Nabha shall ensure that this amount of penalty is deducted from the salary of this defaulting official and deposited in the Treasury under the relevant head.