PMPML fined Rs 25,000 for not providing info under RTI Act

**Atul Patankar** · 02-18-2009, 11:02 AM

As reported by Times of India, Pune on 18 February, 2009

PUNE: In a major setback to the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited, state information commissioner (Pune bench) Vijay Kuvalekar on Monday ordered the company administration to pay a fine of Rs 25,000 to the government treasury for failing to provide information under the Right to Information Act to an activist.

As per the order, the fine is to be recovered from the officers responsible for failing to provide the information about a bill issued for 60 propeller shafts on a work order, issued by the PMPML in May 2006, for getting 30 propeller shafts.

The order states that responsibility for not providing a photocopy of the bill is to be fixed on all the concerned officers, including traffic manager (vigilance department chief) S G Gavli, chief accounts and finance officer D V Unavane, chief internal accounts examiner Z A Sayyed and the then manager (traffic and administration) Shivraj Rane. The order adds that the fine should be recovered from the salaries to be paid in February and March, and this should be noted in the confidential report and service book of the concerned persons.

The order asked the PMPML's executive director to get a copy of the bill from the concerned company and give it to activist Maj Gen S C N Jathar (retd) before February 25.

The information commissioner has also asked the PMPML administration to initiate action against the concerned people for their failure to preserve the necessary documents as per the rules, and has ordered the executive director to submit a report to the information commissionerate.

When contacted, PMPML joint managing director A Y Karche, said that he had not yet seen the order.

In his application submitted to the PMPML on May 3, 2007, Jathar had asked for information on 11 issues, including that of the work order for getting 30 propeller shafts, and about the report by the Central Institute of Road Transport that remoulding of tyres has not been done as per quality standards.

When the administration failed to provide the information, Jathar filed an appeal on June 5, 2007. Although the appeal came up for hearing, the PMPML could not provide the copy of the bill (issued for 60 shafts).

Subsequently, show-cause notices were issued to chief engineer A G Shelar, Sayyad, Unavane and Gavli and also departmental enquiries were initiated, the administration informed the state information commissioner.

After going through the explanations given by the administration, the information commissioner observed that the vigilance and the accounts departments were trying to pass on the blame to each other. The information commissioner also observed that there were no visible efforts from the PMPML to settle the issue. Similarly, the PMPML also did not make efforts to get a copy of the bill from the concerned company.

Source: PMPML fined Rs 25,000 for not providing info under RTI Act -Pune-Cities-The Times of India

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**sunaabhsarkar** · 02-19-2009, 11:17 AM

Sponsorer

Imposing fines which go upto 25,000/-is by its self a pointer of deriliction of duty, non performance of a person holding a Govt office. Then why limit it to fine or entry in service record or demotion... why not dismissal from service...? Its time to rise and act...