GUWAHATI, Jan 3 � The State Information Commission, Assam, has pulled up the Office of Chief Engineer, Public Health Engineering, Government of Assam, for not honouring the provisions of the RTI Act and has imposed a fine of Rs 250 per day subject to a maximum of Rs 25,000 on Debendra Sarma, the State Public Information Officer.
The action has come in the wake of the State Public Information Officer, Office of Chief Engineer, Public Health Engineering, Government of Assam, resorting to delaying tactics to furnish the information sought by Debajit Goswami, secretary, Assam RTI Forum.
Today, addressing media persons here, Goswami said that Assam has a long way to go to implement the RTI Act in the true spirit. It needs to be mentioned here that Goswami had sought information about the implementation of different schemes under the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Water and Sanitation Mission (RGRWSM) in the State for which funding in crores have been allocated so far. But how much the people have benefited from the Mission or how have the funds been utilized can be gauged by the ground reality.
Though the Commission had directed the officer of the PHE to furnish the required information to Goswami free of cost within 15 days from the receipt of the Commission�s order and fixed December 17, 2012 as the next date of hearing, the department instead filed a writ petition at the Gauhati High Court against the order of the Commission. However, the Gauhati High Court dismissed the petition and upheld the decision of the Commission.
