Four years on, retired teacher awaits RTI reply
70-yr-old filed RTI plea in 2009; despite intervention by information commission, RTI is pending
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Wednesday, May 08, 2013 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/3/2013050820130508034050461f30ec71/Four-years-on-retired-teacher-awaits-RTI-reply.html
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Wednesday, May 08, 2013 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/3/2013050820130508034050461f30ec71/Four-years-on-retired-teacher-awaits-RTI-reply.html
It has been over four years since this senior citizen filed an RTI but he is yet to get a reply as per the Right to Information Act. P D Makadiya, 70, a retired school teacher had sought information about alleged irregularities in his school in 2009 from the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) and state education department.
However, despite repeated intervention of the Gujarat Information Commission, he is yet to get a reply. In a bid to facilitate the process, the Information Commission, in March 2013, slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 on officials of GSHSEB and the education department.
But they are yet to respond. Makadiya, a retired teacher from Madhyamik Shala in Jamnagar, had filed an RTI with GSHSEB on March 26, 2009 regarding his school. “It was alleged that my school was not following certain rules. In fact, a tribunal court had asked a recovery sum of Rs 4.77 lakh from the school for irregularities reported.
I had sought information regarding the irregularities and related issues. I had also filed an RTI with the education department,” said Makadiya. “When I did not get any response, I filed an appeal in May 2009,” he said.
“Later, I sent an application to the information commission in July 2009,” said the 70-year-old. The commission ordered that he be given all information within three weeks of the order. Due to lack of response, on December 29, 2012, the commission ruled that GSHSEB and education department must give Makadiya a reply within 20 days.
The body also served a show cause notice to the two government bodies, stating they would be fined if they did not adhere to the deadline. On February 8 this year, Makadiya informed the commission that he had not received a reply. On March 18, the Information Commission slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 on GSHSEB and education board.
The commission further stated that action must be taken against erring officials of both departments within six months and a report submitted to the body. The order read that the fine must be deducted from salaries of the public information officers (PIOs) of both departments. “But I am still waiting,” said Makadiya.
Meanwhile, GSHSEB secretary M I Joshi said, “The root cause of the delay is an erring clerk who has been suspended. Besides, the issue was not directly related to us. We forwarded the RTI to the Jamnagar District Education Officer (DEO) who has also forwarded it.”
However, despite repeated intervention of the Gujarat Information Commission, he is yet to get a reply. In a bid to facilitate the process, the Information Commission, in March 2013, slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 on officials of GSHSEB and the education department.But they are yet to respond. Makadiya, a retired teacher from Madhyamik Shala in Jamnagar, had filed an RTI with GSHSEB on March 26, 2009 regarding his school. “It was alleged that my school was not following certain rules. In fact, a tribunal court had asked a recovery sum of Rs 4.77 lakh from the school for irregularities reported.
I had sought information regarding the irregularities and related issues. I had also filed an RTI with the education department,” said Makadiya. “When I did not get any response, I filed an appeal in May 2009,” he said.
“Later, I sent an application to the information commission in July 2009,” said the 70-year-old. The commission ordered that he be given all information within three weeks of the order. Due to lack of response, on December 29, 2012, the commission ruled that GSHSEB and education department must give Makadiya a reply within 20 days.
The body also served a show cause notice to the two government bodies, stating they would be fined if they did not adhere to the deadline. On February 8 this year, Makadiya informed the commission that he had not received a reply. On March 18, the Information Commission slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 on GSHSEB and education board.
The commission further stated that action must be taken against erring officials of both departments within six months and a report submitted to the body. The order read that the fine must be deducted from salaries of the public information officers (PIOs) of both departments. “But I am still waiting,” said Makadiya.
Meanwhile, GSHSEB secretary M I Joshi said, “The root cause of the delay is an erring clerk who has been suspended. Besides, the issue was not directly related to us. We forwarded the RTI to the Jamnagar District Education Officer (DEO) who has also forwarded it.”
