KPIC fines PDA for not providing information
Staff Reporter
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Commission (KPIC) has imposed Rs15,000 fine on Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) for not providing information to a citizen here on Tuesday.
According to the officials of KPIC, Gul Marjan, a resident of Peshawar, had filed a request to PDA for the attested copies of the documents of a plot situated near Civic Center Phase-II, Hayatabad, Peshawar, however, his request was not honoured by Syed Khalid Amin Shah, Deputy Director, Information Technology/Public Information Officer (PIO), PDA, as per the timeline set out in Section 11 of the KPRTI Act, 2013.
The complainant filed a complaint under Section 23 (1) of the RTI Act, 2013 to the KPIC against the PDA. The Commission directed the PDA’s PIO to provide the demanded record but the same was turned down in futility. Subsequently, the Commission further directed the PIO to appear before the Commission for explanation on February 2, 2020, but the officer did not bother to turn up and explain the factual position as to why the information was not provided even beyond the prescribed timeline.
Despite repeated directions of the Commission, another opportunity was given to him to appear before the Commission on September 1, 2020 but of no avail. Resultantly, during the proceedings, a show-cause notice was served upon him on September 9, 2020 with the direction to show the reason as to why an action should not be taken against him under Section 26 (3) (b) of the KPRTI Act, 2013, however, his response to the show-cause notice was found unsatisfactory.
The Commission, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 26 (3) (b) of the RTI Act, 2013, imposed a fine of Rs15,000 on the Deputy Director, Information Technology/PIO of the PDA for his non-compliance of the mandatory provision of information under the RTI Law, whereas the Commission further directed the PDA to provide the requested information to the complainant within 10 days even after the payment of fine, failing which further action will be taken against it.
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