Face2News/Abohar.
The State Information Commission has fined the Public Information officer of the Local Bodies Department for not providing detailed information about the accused in the alleged property scam that surfaced during the Akali-BJP alliance in the Abohar Municipal Council.
While hearing the appeal filed by Ashok Watts, president of the Retired Municipal Employees Welfare Association, the Commission directed the PIO to pay a fine of Rs 5000 for his absence and not responding to the queries.
(SUBHEAD)To get information related to this scam under the Right to Information Act, Mr. Watts had filed an application on 7 September 2020, but he had to file an appeal before the State Commission on 14 December 2020 after the concerned authorities did not provide the information. During the hearing, the Public Information Officer of the Local Bodies Department neither appeared nor did he send any information regarding this.
Giving information, Ashok Watts said that between January 1, 2016 and September 6, 2020, a scam of lakhs of rupees was allegedly done in auctioning the plots on the Nai Sadak Market. Raising this issue, he had sought information about the action taken against the then executive officers.
He had also asked how the executive officer was given the right to pass the site plan to construct a shop to the person in whose favor the MC did not even execute the sale deed in the tehsil office. But every effort is being made to save the convicted officers in this case because of their influence at a higher level, the appellant said.
