CENTRAL INFORMATION COMMISSION

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Decision No. CIC/SG/C/2009/001220/11884 Complaint No. CIC/SG/C/2009/001220

Relevant Facts emerging from the Complaint.

Complainant:Ms. Gita Dewan Verma, 1356. D-1, Vasat Kunj, New Delhi.
Respondent(1) Mr. S. K. S. Yadav
Public Information Officer & Additional Secretary ,
Government of N.C.T of Delhi,
Department of Urban Development,
Office of Public Information Officer, 10th Level, Delhi Sachivalaya,
New Delhi
(2) Mr. N. R. Narain,
Public Information Officer & Assistant Commissioner,
Government of N.C.T of Delhi,
Labour Department
Office of The Labour Commissioner,
5, Sham Nath Marg, Delhi-110054.
(3) Secretary to Commissioner,
Office of the Commissioner,
Municipal Corporation of Delhi,
Town Hall, Chandini Chowk,
Delhi-110006.
(4) Mr. T. R. Rawal
APIO & AE (CPD),
Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board, GNCTD
Room No.47, Punarvas Bhawan,
I.P Estate, New Delhi-110002.
(5)Mr. H. C. Puri
Public Information Officer
Delhi State Industrial & Infrastructure Development
Corporation (DSIIDC),
N-36, Bombay Life Building, Connaught Circus,
New Delhi-110001.
(6)Public Information Office
O/o the Secretary to Minister (SC/ST/REV). 7th Level, A-Wing,
Delhi Secretariat,
New Delhi- 110002
(7)Chief Secretary
Govt. of NCT of Delhi
5th Level, A-Wing,
Delhi Secretariat,
New Delhi- 110002
RTI application filed on:04/06/2007
PIO replied:08/06/2007
First appeal filed on:Not Appealed
Complaint received on:10/08/2007
Complaint notice sent on:29/08/2010

Information Sought:

  1. Information in terms of S.4(1)(b)(viii) of the RTI Act 2005 about the “Multi Purpose Housing Committee” mentioned in the press report(including the statutory provisions/ delegations of GOI powers under various Acts whereby the Committee was constituted its object, membership, frequency of meetings, etc).
  2. Information in terms of S.4(1)(c) of the scheme announced through press(including particulars/description of studies conducted to establish its techno-legal feasibility).
  3. Estimated date by which the information that had to be published by October 2005 under Section 4(1)(b) of RTI Act 2005 is likely to be published on the website of Urban Development Department.

Reply of Public Information Officer (PIO):

The APIO Mr. Krishan Singh of Department of Urban Development, GNCTD transferred the RTI application to the six departments i.e.

  1. PIO (SC/ST/OBC);
  2. PIO (DSIIDC);
  3. PIO (Divisional Commissioner,5 Sham Nath Marg);
  4. PIO/Commissioner (MCD);
  5. PIO(Slum& JJ) Vikash Bhawan; 6- PIO (Labour Department);

Ground for First Appeal:

Not appealed.

Ground of the Second Appeal:

No information received from the PIO.

Submission received:

  1. PIO/JT.Secretary(UD) has submitted & it is present in diary no.59499 dated 20.10.09.
  2. Addl.Distict Magistrate(HQ)/PIO has submitted & it is present in diary no.61957 dated 30.10.09.
  3. State Public Information Officer/P.S To Minister has submitted & it is present in diary no. 55032 dated 03.10.2009.

This has reference to the letter dtd. 10/9/09 of CAC. In this regard, the reply is given as under:

  1. Reply to Multi Purpose Housing Committee has been given and the details about Housing Project worth 139995.72 has been shown in the Statement regarding. Details of Housing under JNNURM is enclosed. For other details www.dsiidc.org. website may be seen besides U.D. Delhi Govt. website.
  2. The details of Project cleared by GD! has already been given.

Relevant Facts emerging during Hearing held on 03 February 2011:

The following were present

Complainant: Ms. Gita Dewan Verma;

Respondent: Mr. S. K. S. Yadav, Public Information Officer & Additional Secretary (UD); Mr. Shivendra Kumar, Public Information Officer & EE (CPD), DUSIB, GNCTD; Mr. A. K. Mishra, Public Information Officer (DSIIDC);

“The Complainant has sought information about 4(1)(b) and 4(1)(c) disclosures regarding “Multi Purpose Housing Committee under the chairmanship of Delhi Development Minster Mr. Raj Kumar Chauhan” and the “construction of about ten thousand flats in Kanjhawala and 32 acre land in Bawana”. It was reported that the land was transferred to DSIIDC by the Revenue Department. It appears that this information has not been declared suo-moto and there appears to be some confusion amongst various departments about both these mattes. The Complainant has raised concerns about a matter of great public concern and after discussions with various respondent presents it appears that the respondents present before the Commission are not very clear about the matter.

The Commission therefore directs all the Departments of Delhi Government to provide information to Mr. S. K. S. Yadav PIO of UD who is being directed to coordinate the gathering of this information and putting it up on the website of the Urban Development. If any of the Government Departments does not provide adequate assistance to Mr. S. K. Yadav the Commission will take punitive actions against them.

The Commission will hold the next hearing on this matter on 11 March 2011 at 04.00PM. All the relevant PIOs will be present at this hearing on 11/03/2011 and Mr. Yadav will try and ensure that all the information is putup on the website of the UD Department before this hearing.”

Relevant Facts emerging during the hearing on 11 March 2011:

The following were present

Complainant: Ms. Gita Dewan Verma;

Respondent: Mr. S. K. S. Yadav, Public Information Officer & Additional Secretary (UD); Mr. T. R. Rawal, APIO & AE(CPD), DUSIB, GNCTD; Mr. A. K. Mishra (CPM) & Mr. H. C. Puri Public Information Officer (DSIIDC); Mr. N. R. Narain, Public Information Officer & Assistant Commissioner, Labour Department, 5 Sham Nath Marg, New Delhi;

“Mr. S. K. S. Yadav has stated that he has tried to talk to officers of the various departments. Most of the officers have stated that they do not have any records of “Multipurpose House Committee”. Mr. Bhairav Dutt PIO & OSD to Minister, Urban Development Department has in his letter dated 03/03/2011 addressed to Mr. S. K. Yadav stated that as per records of his office no meeting of multiple purpose house committee was held under the Chairmanship of Mr. Raj Kumar Chauhan during the period 01 January 2007 to 30/03/2007. The Complainant shows that the RTI application had been transferred to the PIO Secretary to the Minister SC/ST/Revenue on 08/06/2007 under ID no.346 by Mr. Krishan Singh APIO of UD Department. Since then no answer has been provided to the Complainant and it is curious that after four years the PIO claims that there is no such record. The Complainant has not talked of a particular time frame and there is a possibility that information which would have been in the knowledge of various officers in 2007 may not be in the knowledge of the present PIO. The offices present confirmed that houses have been constructed in the areas where the Complainant has sought information and some flats have already been allotted by DUSIB after being transferred from DSIIDC. The Complainant also points out that the information provided to her by the PIO of DSIIDC on 24/09/2009 vide letter no. DSIIDC/Dy.CE(C)/09/RTI/258 states that “The land at Kanjhawala and Bawana (Ghoga) were transferred to DSIIDC by the Revenue Department with the approval of the Lt. Governor for the construction of houses under JNNURM Scheme” on the other hand the PIO of Revenue Department Mr. Vinay Kumar, ADM(HQ) has on 21/10/2009 forwarded the letter from the land Acquisition Collector (NW) vide no. F/LAC/AC/09/298/2009 in which it has been stated that the said land was handed over to DSIIDC for Growth Center under Mini Master Plan Scheme. The forwarding letter by Mr. Vinay Kumar, ADM(HQ) had promised that the information would be given to the Complainant regarding Baprola but this promise appears to be forgotten. This also states that this was not acquired by DSIIDC for the purposes of Slum Projects under JNNURM. There is obviously a contradiction in the statements given by the LAC (NW) and DSIIDC.

It is apparent from the statements of everyone that the basic scheme is being implemented and because of the period of four years that are elapsed since the RTI application was made different people would be understanding it by different names. The Commission also noticed that some of the PIOs have also not been responding to the Commission’s notice resulting in enormous wastage of public money and time.

The Commission therefore summons the following PIOs to appear before the Commission on 06 April 2011 at 04.30PM with the information sought by the Complainant and relevant records:

  1. PIO office of the Secretary to Minister (SC/ST/REV).
  2. PIO of DSIIDC.
  3. PIO of Divisional Commissioner’s Office.
  4. PIO of Revenue District North West.
  5. PIO of Revenue District West.
  6. PIO of Urban Development.
  7. PIO of DUSIB.

A copy of the order for all the PIOs is being given to the PIO of UD to send this order to all the PIOs. The Commission expects all the PIO to come with all the relevant records on 06/04/2011 at 04.30PM.

Relevant Facts emerging during the hearing on 06 April 2011:

The following were present

Complainant: Ms. Gita Dewan Verma;

Respondent: Mr. S. K. S. Yadav, Public Information Officer & Additional Secretary (UD); Mr. H. C. Puri Public Information Officer (DSIIDC); Mr. Shyam Sunder, SDM(HQ) & PIO(Coordination) Office of Divisional Commissioner; Mr. Lalit Kumar, Reader to the ADM(NW); Mr. Amit Kumar, Patwari (LAC)Branch office of DC(West); Mr. Shivendra Kumar, EE(CPD) DUSIB; Mr. K. C. Mittal, UDC MCD Office of ADC(HQ); Mr. K. S. Meena, PIO & Dy. Director (Rural Development);

Information on Village Baprola District West has been provided to Complainant before the Commission by the PIO/SDM(HQ) Divisional Commissioner Office. Mr. K. S. Meena, PIO & Dy. Director (Rural Development) has provided the records related to change of land use from Growth Center to Law Cost Housing of Slum to the Complainant before the Commission.

The Commission is now identifying the information which can be provided by the various officers present at the hearing.

  1. Whether technical feasibility for the suitability of the site was carried out. If such a study was carried out PIO, DSIIDC will provide a report. If no such study was carried out, this will be sated.
  2. All the present PIOs have stated that they do not have any records of constitution of the Multi Purpose Housing Committee Under the chairmanship of Delhi Development Minister Mr. Raj Kumar Chauhan. If PIO office of the Secretary to Minister (SC/ST/REV) has any record of the constitution of the Multi Purpose Housing Committee Under the chairmanship of Delhi Development Minister Mr. Raj Kumar Chauhan he will provide it to the Complainant . If there is no such record is with the office of the Minister this will be stated.

In the journey of trying to get information about this committee a tremendous amount time and public resources have been wasted and yet the Commission does not feel that satisfactory information has been provided to the Complainant. In view of this experience the Commission feels that some systematic approach needs to be developed to ensure that the information about the formation, deliberations and action taken by such committees is available to the citizens. The Complainant has produced before the Commission the announcement of yet another “High Level Committee to prepare a blue print to make Delhi slum free”. The Complainant and other citizens want to get information about this committee and various committees formed by the government. The Commission under its powers under Section-19(8)(a) of the RTI Act directs the Chief Secretary of Govt. of NCT of Delhi to ensure that whenever any committee is formed information about the committee and its constitution is putup on the website of the Administrative Reforms Department of GNCTD as required under Section-4(1)(b)(viii) of the RTI Act. The Government must also ensure that with the formation of any committee it is declared as to the PIO who is responsible for providing the information about the deliberations and actions/decisions taken by the committees. The Chief Secretary should issue appropriate orders to Principal Secretary (Administrative Reforms) and send a copy of such order to the Complainant and the Commission. All Committees formed from 01 April 2011 should be listed with the rules, regulation, constitution and members of the Committee with the details of the PIO responsible for providing the information of the Committee. The Chief Secretary will send a copy of the administrative order to the Complainant and the Commission before 30 May 2011.

Decision:

The complaint is allowed.

The PIO, DSIIDC is directed to provide the information on query-1 as directed above to the Complainant before 10 May 2011.

The Commission also directs PIO office of the Secretary to Minister (SC/ST/REV) to provide the information on query-2 as directed above to the Complainant 10 May 2011.

This decision is announced in open chamber.

Notice of this decision be given free of cost to the parties.

Any information in compliance with this Order will be provided free of cost as per Section 7(6) of RTI Act.

(In any correspondence on this decision, mention the complete decision number.)

(SM)

Shailesh Gandhi
Information Commissioner

06 April 2011