Dimapur, July 12: The department of Finance has issued clarifications associated with what appears to have been communication snags between information-seeking RTI applicants and the department itself. The Finance department issued a press release on Tuesday stating a response.
The Finance department said to have noted a “news article” published in a local daily on July 10 suggesting lack of response from the department. Two applicants who submitted queries to the public information officer of the department seeking information relating to Plan Grants and Non-Plan Grants allocation and release during 2014-2015 and 2016-17 were “yet to receive replies,” the .press release stated. The clarification from the departments stated (passage verbatim):
(i) The application was received in Finance Department on 24th May 2016. Vide letter No. FIN/REV-4/RTI/9/14/129 dated 23rd June 2016, the reply was furnished to the two applicants.
(ii) When the concerned Branch contacted the applicants, one mobile number was not reachable. The other number was contacted, and the applicant informed that the reply was ready. Reminders were made on 24th and 27th June 2016. One of the applicants came to take delivery of the reply on 29th June 2016.
(iii) A portion of the query pertaining to Disaster Management was forwarded to the concerned department. Reply to this portion was furnished to the applicants vide letter No. NSDMA/RTI/2011 dated 21st June 2016.
3. While acknowledging that there have been instances of delay in furnishing replies to RTI applications sometimes due to unavoidable reasons, there is no instance of Finance Department refusing to furnish information to RTI queries till date, and all requests for information have been responded to.
4. Accordingly, Finance Department is of the view that such articles are misleading and irresponsible, and should have been verified before unfounded allegations were published in the public domain.
It is also the considered view of Finance Department that those seeking information under the Right to Information Act have an equal responsibility in ensuring that the statements made by them for publication in the public domain are not made in an irresponsible manner with the intent of damaging the image of any public authority.
