PDA PIO Khalid Amin fined for not providing information to citizen under RTI law
Peshawar: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Information Commission (KPTI) has directed Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) Director General Syed Zafar Ali Shah to deduct Rs15,000 from the salary of designated Public Information Officer (PIO) Khalid Amin for his willful denial of requested information.
The Commission also directed the PDA director general to submit a compliance report and provide the requested information to the appellant within 10 days even after the payment of fine. The order further stated that failing would initiate proceedings against the development authority.
According to details, the RTI was filed by Gul Marjan, a resident of Peshawar, to PDA Deputy Director Information Technology Syed Khalid Amin Shah for attested copies of the documents of the plot situated near Civic Centre, Phase II, Hayatabad, Peshawar under the RTI Act, 2013.
However, the development authority officer neither provided data nor responded to the Commission’s notices. The Commission, through a notice, called upon the respondent to submit reasons for not providing the requested information, but Amin Shah didn’t appear before the commission as well.
It is to mention here that the designated officer was bound to provide requested information under Section 11 of the KPRTI Act 2013.
Subsequently, the Commission further directed the PIO to appear before the Commission for explanation on February 2 this year, 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 timeline laid down in the KPRTI Law.
Despite repeated directions, the Commission gave another opportunity to the designated officer to appear before the Commission on September 1, 2020, but was of no avail.
Earlier, a show-cause notice was also served upon the PIO with the directions to show the cause as to why action should not be initiated against him under Section 26 (3) (b) of the KPRTI Act 2013. But his response to the show-cause notice was also found unsatisfactory and void of facts.
The Commission, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 26 (3) (b) of the RTI law, imposed a fine of Rs15,000 on PDA Deputy Director Information Technology for his non-compliance of the mandatory provision KPRTI Act 2013.
The Commission further directed the public body to provide the requested information to the complainant within 10 days even after the payment of fine, failing which proceedings would be initiated against it.
