Team Herald
MARGAO: The First Appellate Authority of the Margao Municipal Council on Friday directed the head clerk/store keeper of the council to provide information sought under Right to Information (RTI) within a period of 10 days, failure of which errant municipal staff will have to pay a fine of Rs 250 per day.
It may be noted that Shadow Council for Margao Convenor Savio Coutinho had filed an RTI application on July 16, seeking information with respect to mobile phone sets procured by the MMC during the last three terms of the council i.e 2005-10, 2010-15 and 2015-20.
Vide the said application information was sought as to the total expenditure incurred on the procurements during each of the three terms, and details of the outgoing councillors who have not handed over their respective mobile phones back to the council.
Coutinho had also sought information about the details of returned mobile sets in possession of the council, which could have put the concerned official in a tight spot.
During the course of the hearings on the appeal filed by Coutinho, the Appellate Authority had given the concerned head clerk/store keeper ample opportunities to furnish the information sought by the applicant, but in vain.
The Appellate Authority finally passed the judgement and order on November 16 directing the head clerk/store keeper of the council to provide information sought under RTI within a period of 10 days, failure of which errant municipal staff shall have to pay a fine of Rs 250 per day.
Speaking to the media persons, the SCM Convenor said that the sole purpose for seeking the information was that whenever a new council is formed, new mobile sets are purchased, which are to be returned to the council on the expiry of the term.
“Nobody however knows whether all the outgoing councillors have returned their mobile sets, and if returned what happens to these sets thereafter,” Coutinho stated.
