*SIC directs CM’s Secretariat to ensure transparency
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Feb 19: Shocking it may sound but it is a fact that there are no prescribed rules for availing the services of State’s Helicopters and Plane in Jammu and Kashmir despite expenditure of several crores of rupees on operation and maintenance of these flying machines every year. Moreover, the Civil Aviation Department, which deals with this matter, doesn’t maintain the proper record about the people accompanying the Ministers during the travel in Government choppers/plane.
These revelations have come to the fore during the disposal of an application under Right to Information Act by the Jammu and Kashmir State Information Commission headed by Chief Information Commissioner, G R Sufi.
Advocate Vilakshana Singh had filed an RTI application seeking information on 12 points vis-à-vis the names of Ministers in PDP-BJP Coalition Government whose spouses also used State chopper/plane services to attend the marriage ceremony of the then Minister of State for Revenue and sitting MLA from Kishtwar, Sunil Sharma; total expenditure on the transportation of the passengers and the department(s) which bore the expenditure and the policy being followed for allowing use of State Government’s flying machines etc.
However, the Public Information Officer in the Civil Aviation Department expressed ignorance about the names of the spouses of the Ministers in the list of passengers, who had used the State Helicopter/Plane to attend the marriage ceremony of the then MoS Revenue.
As far as query with regard to total expenditure on the transportation of the passengers in the State chopper and the name of the department which bore the expenditure, the PIO replied: No records were available with the Civil Aviation Department. Only the approval of chopper service for the Ministers is granted by the competent authority”.
About the norms/rules/guidelines laid down for availing State chopper/plane services, initially the PIO of Civil Aviation Department gave some information but when it was pointed out that the same was not strictly in accordance with the points of information sought by the applicant he put the ball in the court of PIO in the Chief Minister’s Secretariat by stating that this is the domain of PIO in CM’s Secretariat.
Though the PIO in the Chief Minister’s Secretariat responded to this query after the direction issued by the Commission, yet the Chief Information Commissioner, G R Sufi found that there are no written and prescribed rules for availing the chopper/plane services.
Expressing serious concern over this, the Chief Information Commissioner has asked the Chief Minister’s Secretariat to give a serious thought to this particular aspect and for ensuring transparency and accountability necessary rules may be made to regulate the request of various State authorities for their use of State choppers and plane.
“These requirements should have been strictly met by the Chief Minister’s Secretariat in accordance with Section 4 of the J&K State RTI Act, 2009 which desire the suo moto disclosure of information held by the Government authorities within 120 days from the enactment of J&K State RTI Act— March, 2009”, the CIC said, adding “the Commission in accordance with Section 16(9)(a) is empowered to issue the directions requiring the public authority to take such steps as may be necessary to secure compliance with the provisions of the Act”.
Accordingly, the Commission has directed the Chief Minister’s Secretariat to comply with the directions for making rules and guidelines within two months from the receipt of this order.
About the expenditure on transportation of the passengers in the State choppers/plane, the Commission said, “the only aim and objective of the RTI Act is to bring transparency and accountability in the working of public authorities”, adding “the sanction of Government expenditure and the way of spending expenditure is one of the components of bringing transparency and accountability in the working of public authorities”.
Accordingly, the Commission has directed that necessary steps be taken by the public authority to have such a system in place which will be fool proof and transparent so that the tax payers of the State will know under which head expenditure has been incurred.
As far as names of the passengers who have used the Government facility, the Commission has directed that such names be disclosed and put on the website within a period of five days from the receipt of this order.
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