Return excess cost of information or face disciplinary action: AA to
Enough is enough! Call it a meticulous follow-up by RTI applicant or
fear of second appeal with state information commissioner, in a
major win to RTI applicants, nexus between AA and PIO came to an
abrupt end. Fed up with corruption complaints against G.P.
Wanadongri and taking cognizance of most RTI applicants marching
towards second appeal, AA decided to clean his hands and uphold the
law.

In an order dubbed as VERY IMPORTANT ORDER, PIO was not only ordered
to return excess money charged as cost of information by supplying
irrelevant information but also was warned not to harass RTI
applicants or face disciplinary actions. It is worth mentioning that
this was FOURTH WRITTEN WARNING to this PIO by the same AA.

Gajanan Dhakulkar, a resident of Wanadongri, filed RTI application
with GP related to taxes charged by GP. By rule GP charges
development charges and tax on empty plot whenever citizens need
permission to construct a new house. Exchequer should get revenue of
INR 5-8 K per transaction. Hanky panky happens and win-win theory
postulated by middlemen is apiary of corruption. Middlemen, most of
them are GP employees, retain a sizeable chunk of revenue and
citizen is also allowed to pay less. In a nutshell, corruption is
rampant in GP Wanadongri.

PIO cum Gram Sevak (D. Rathod) demanded INR 1175 for 499 pages of
information without furnishing calculation sheet on how he arrived
at his figure. Applicant paid the cost and information was supplied
after 7 days. PIO submitted irrelevant information and tried to gag
the applicant by supplying voluminous information which was not at
all related to subject matter of RTI application. Actual information
was not shared to protect gross irregularities and hence first
appeal was filed with AA cum BDO (M. B. Juware). AA first dodged the
applicant by absconding on appeal date and applicant filed second
appeal. AA called the applicant after 62 days of filing first appeal
and heard the applicant. It was a patch-up effort says applicant who
received the order of AA after 80 days. It is mandatory on part of
AA to pass his order within 30 days of receipt of appeal. However,
in not a single case AA passed order within 45 days. (Without
assigning cause)

The order dubbed as VERY IMPORTANT ORDER, instructs PIO to return
excess amount charged as cost of information, as he found 145 pages
of irrelevant information. He also passed few strictures against PIO
and warned him of disciplinary action, if such acts are repeated.
Definitely AA is trying to save his skin, as the second appeal is
pending with SIC Nagpur, claims applicants.

In the mean time it has been learnt that PIO cum Gram Sevak of GP
Wanadongri was shunted and transferred due to large scale corruption
complaints and as he was abetting serious irregularities. Now it has
to be watched, what SIC decides on appeal(s) pending against this
(notoxxxxx) PIO?

It is significant that AA stopped colluding with PIO and chose to go
by books.