Kozhikode , Keralam Information Commissioner T K Ramakrishnan has warned of strict action against officials who fail to provide information under the RTI Act by claiming that the concerned files are missing or unavailable.
Officials should ascertain from whom a file went missing and take appropriate action. The information officer of Nadapuram police station was directed to provide CCTV footage sought by an applicant, while the concerned official of the Malabar Devaswom Board was instructed to provide information after it had been denied on the ground that the information had not been compiled. Fifteen complaints were disposed of during the hearing, the statement added. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Officials sometimes respond to Right to Information applications saying that the file could not be traced or was unavailable, Ramakrishnan said, adding that the responsibility for maintaining files rests with the public authorities concerned. If a file is missing, legal action should be initiated and each file should have a designated custodian, he said. Ramakrishnan said officials should view the RTI Act positively and provide information within the stipulated time. The Information Commissioner also said a training programme would be organised next month for district-level officials to create awareness about the RTI Act.
He was speaking after a sitting held at the district Collectorate conference hall, according to an official statement on Monday.
On a complaint filed by Karanthur resident Abdul Kalam, Ramakrishnan directed the RTI officer of Kunnamangalam panchayat here to trace the file and provide the information sought. The information officer of the Kozhikode Government Engineering College was reprimanded for failing to provide information and copies of documents despite the prescribed fee being paid.
The officer was directed to send the information to the complainant by speed post immediately, it said.
