Coal India Limited asking for exhorbitant amount to part with the RTI info

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BIMAL KUMAR KHEMANI	Coal India Limited asking for exhorbitant amount to part with the RTI info
Blog	Posted By: hindtodaynews on:10/9/2008 10:10:51 PM

Dear Friend(s)
I am attaching herewith a letter written by PIO General Manager (Welfare) of Coal India Ltd., Kolakata, after 39 days from the receipt of the RTI application from Mr. K.C.Dash of Brajraj Nagar, Orissa
The shameless PIO demanded a sum of Rs. 19400/- as cost of deployment of .
2 executives and 2 non executives for 2 days, and with a calculation has arrived to the above cost of Rs.19400/- preparatory cost  for furnishing the information as asked for.
I think my other fellow activist might have  not encountered  such a demand.
I would also request you all to kindly ask the PIO, how he could dare to raise such demand

BIMAL KUMAR KHEMANI

member TRAP ,
TRANSPARENT REELIABLE ACCOUNTABLE PEOPLE'S MOVEMENT
Saha-Prant Sangathan Mantri,
AKHIL BHARATIYA GRAHAK PANCHAYAT BRAJ PRANT,
2/40D, Janakpuri, Marrish Road,
ALIGARH-202001. INDIA
Phone:0571-2401557, MOB:-09359724625
e.mail: bimal.khemani@rediffmail.com

To:Shri Bimal Khemani,
RTI applicant.

Dear Sir,

Information not furnished / not refused under valid ground has to be furnished free of charge. In this case, date of application is of July and response of PIO of September.

There is a high level of arbitrariness in considering two days time for furnishing information and CIL will have a tough time in explaining it when questioned.

Still, if it is possible to pay the demanded payment, better to pay it under protest, and get the information now.

Payment so made can be recovered at a later date by filing complaint / second appeal to CIC or, in extreme case, using legal recourse.

Due to deliberate lacuna in the RTI Act providing no time limit for ICs to hear / dispose off the case, RTI applicants, as of now, remain at the mercy of CIC / SICs since CIC / SICs have preferred not to have self-imposed targets on clearing the cases. That amendment to make ICs accountable to the public is overdue.

Hon'ble Prime Minister of India has still not shown by public announcement or by concrete action the determination that UPA Govt is really serious on implementing RTI in letter and spirit though RTI has been given by the UPA Govt.

ICs sitting on RTI cases for months / and, by now, years togather are the worst abusers of RTI. The leader among them being Mr Wajahat Habibullah, CIC, CIC himself. (Kindly refer to the data and analysis pertaining to my RTI application bdvcic1.) Considering his reply on tainted officers / ICs at CIC, what I can infer is that Under Secretary to the GOI posted at CIC does not know what is meant by corrupt officers.

Anyway, we must continue our struggle for better transparency / better accountability with our meagre resources since neither politicians nor bureacrats (leaving apart some exceptions) seem interested in transparency or accountability in public administration for the reasons best known to them.

It is a tug of war that has to continue undeterred.

With warm regards,

--
Babubhai Vaghela
202, Sarap, Opp Navjivan Press,
Off Ashram Road, Ahmedabad - 380 014
M - 94276 08632

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