Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on May 31, 2010:
CHENNAI: Seven months have passed and an order of Chennai Collector V Shobana to recover Rs 5,000 from a staff of the Mylapore-Triplicane taluk office for failing to provide information in time to an RTI activist way back in October 2009 is yet to be executed. And authorities in the Collectorate still continue their ‘official communication’ among themselves to collect the said amount.
Furthermore, R Natarajan, an RTI activist, who could have received the token compensation of Rs 5,000 from the taluk’s public information officer (PIO) by August 2009, was forced to move another RTI application with the Collectorate in March this year to know the status of the State Information Commission (SIC) order awarding compensation to him.
Though I received a 23-page document (after inspection) from the Collectorate detailing the official communication and file notings between Collectorate and Mylapore-Triplicane Taluk recently, there was no mention of any details on recovery of Rs 5,000 or action taken on PIO for failing to provide information, R Natarajan told Express.
Meanwhile, Natarajan a few days ago sent a private (legal) notice to the Collector asking her to make the payment within 14 days or he will move the civil court to settle the issue.
It all started in August last year when the SIC acting on a plea by Natarajan directed the Chennai Collectorate’s public information officer (PIO) to pay a token compensation of Rs 5,000 to him for failing to furnish information.
Acting on the SIC’s order which categorically asked the Collector V Shobana to recover the amount from the PIO and take disciplinary action against the errant official.
The Collector in October 2009 ordered the recovery of Rs 5,000 from the then PIO Gulam Geelani Papa and disburse the same to Natarajan.
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