Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur (SP)

Puttur, Feb 14: Karnataka State information commission has imposed a penalty of Rs 6,000 on panchayat development officer (PDO) of Mundoor gram panchayat in the taluk, Sujatha. The penalty has been imposed for her reluctance to furnish information sought by a Right to Information (RTI) activist under Right to Information Act. The query was relating to drinking water supply connection.

The commission has also ordered for her personal presence before it on April 10.

A person named John Pinto from Mottettadka in Kemminje village in Mundoor gram panchayat had applied for the above information under Right to Information Act. The PDO, instead of aproviding the information sought, had sent him notice, asking him to personally approach her office and get the information required after making payment of necessary fee. Pinto wrote to the PDO, questioning the stated requirement of personal attendance and objecting about the non-specific fee demanded in her letter.

As the PDO failed to respond to his letter, Pinto wrote to the taluk panchayat executive officer. As the issue remained unsettled there for long,, he approached Karnataka State Information Commission with a complaint.

The commission had issued notice to the PDO concerned, seeking explanation for her failure to discharge her duties. The PDO failed to provide convincing reasons for her failure to provide the information sought.

In this backdrop, the Information Commission imposed penalty on her.