PANJIM: Director of Urban Development Gurudas P Pilarnekar has issued a memorandum directing the Public Information Officers and Assistant Public Information Officers of Mapusa Municipal Council to ensure that Right To Information (RTI) matters be dealt with in a time-bound manner and any lapses on the part of the officers will be considered as dereliction of duties, and action, as deemed fit under the rules, will be initiated.
The Director of Urban Development issued the memorandum on September 5, 2022, taken upon directions of the State Information Commission (SIC), the Chief Secretary sought a written explanation from former Mapusa Municipal Council chief officer Clen Madeira for not disposing of the first appeals filed before him under Section 19 (1) of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005.
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Pranab G Bhat, Under Secretary to Chief Secretary, in a letter to Madeira had asked him to submit his written explanation to the office of the Chief Secretary after the State Information Commissioner observed that he did not dispose of the first appeals filed before him by Jawaharlal T Shetye, Khorlim, Mapusa within the mandatory period of 45 days in conformity with Section 19 (6) of the RTI Act.
State Information Commissioner Sanjay N Dhavalikar by an order on August 11, 2022, while disposing of four appeals filed by Shetye had observed that Madeira, who was the First Appellate Authority of Mapusa Municipal Council had repeatedly failed to dispose of the first appeals. The said failure was considered a dereliction of duty and repeated instances of dereliction of duty should not go unpunished.
The SIC had directed the present Public Information Officer to furnish the requested information to the appellant within 30 days and had asked the Chief Secretary to seek a written explanation from Madeira for not deciding on first appeals in conformity with Section 19 (6) of the RTI Act.
The SIC, in the same matter, had directed the Director of Municipal Administration to seek clarification from the Public Information Officers of Mapusa Municipal Council for failing to provide the information within 30 days, and instruct the PIOs to act in accordance with the provisions of the RTI Act.
Meanwhile, Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) Vishwas Satarkar will on Tuesday, September 20, hear the petition filed by Adv Aires Rodrigues against the order passed by the First Appellate Authority and Secretary of Goa Legislature Namrata Ulman rejecting his appeal against the order of the Public Information Officer (PIO) Mohan Gaonkar declining to furnish the information sought by him under RTI Act.
