PTI, NEW DELHI: The Central Information Commission has rapped two senior Indian Air Force officers for not furnishing timely and accurate information on expenditure incurred on foreign visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi using the force’s aircraft, calling it a case of “the gross lack of knowledge or perhaps limited knowledge”.
“(The) Commission is irked by the unexplained delay of two months in receiving the RTI application upon transfer from Respondent No.1 (Air HQ to Western Air Command) despite it being sent through registered post,” Information Commissioner Divya Prakash Sinha noted while hearing the complaint of Commodore Lokesh Batra (retired).
Batra had approached the Commission with a complaint against the IAF, saying it has delayed by seven months the response to his application seeking to know expenditure incurred on foreign visits of the prime minister using its aircraft for the purpose.
He also said the IAF first stated it did not have information related to his query seeking to know the public authority which bears the expenditure for the IAF aircraft, but after seven months stated that expenditure in respect of IAF aircraft conveying the Prime Minister abroad is met by the Embassy of India (Defence Attache’) in that country.
“…Commission observes that both Respondents (officers of IAF HQ and Western Command) failed to apply their mind in the matter to ascertain the availability of information on para 2(b) (details public authorities bearing expenditure of IAF aircraft during foreign travels of the PM) of the RTI application with the concerned Directorate of Indian Air Force,” Sinha said.
