Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 21: Taking cognizance of a particular officer occupying the post of Principal for 18 years in the Higher Education Department, the State Information Commission G R Sofi has observed that there had been a transfer policy in the operation, it would have not been possible.
Disposing off the second appeal, filed by an RTI activist Madan Mohan Sharma, the CIC said that in order to meet the standards of transparency and accountability, which is the mandate of State RTI Act and in order to ensure that there is no vested interest served by allowing few officers and officials to continue on a particular job for an unlimited period and frequently transfer certain other officials without assigning any reason, a well though transfer policy plays an important role.
Having no transfer policy and leaving posting and transfer of officers to the pure direction of the superior, is prone to lead to arbitrariness leading to favouritism, which is against transparency, Mr Sofi said.
The applicant had filed the second appeal after the PIO refused to give information on transfer policy in Higher Education Department, list of those Principals who were never transferred for the last five years from the city Municipal limits and the list of those Principals who were never transferred from Jammu city during last five years.
Initially the PIO refused to give information on the plea that said information was not available in the department in the shape of documents. Aggrieved with the order of PIO, the appellant filed first appeal before the FAA who failed to adjudicate the first appeal. However, the new FAA, who was designated as the authority last month, adjudicated the first appeal with the directions to the PIO who provided information to the appellant on February 7, 2014. As per the information provided by the PIO, there is no separate transfer policy in the Higher Education Department.
Disposing off another appeal, the CIC grilled the officers of Health and Education Department for purported missing of record pertaining to minority status to ASCOMS Jammu.
The record being of high public value, should have not been dealt with routine and senior officers of the ministry are expected to consider whether any action may be taken for fixing responsibility for misplacing the record, Mr Sofi said on second appeal of Advocate B R Manhas, who had sought information whether Acharya Shri Chander College of Medical Science and Hospital Jammu is Hindu minority institution or a Muslim minority Medical College or any other.
The second appeal was filed after PIO and then FAA that the file pertaining to the subject was missing and not traced despite thorough search of records.
The Commission further observed that in case the pleas of public authorities on missing of record are taken, it would defeat the very purpose and rationale of the State RTI.
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