SIC DIRECTS MC LUDHIANA TO IGNORE APPLICANT WHO FILED MORE THAN 500 RTI APPLICATIONS

SIC DIRECTS MC LUDHIANA TO IGNORE APPLICANT WHO FILED MORE THAN 500 RTI APPLICATIONS

HELD THAT APPLICANT’S ACT IS MISUSE RATHER ABUSE OF THE RTI ACT WITH UNSAVORY MOTIVES

Nabaz-e-Punjab Bureau, CHANDIGARH, APRIL 21:
The State Information Commission, Punjab during the hearing of a case directed Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana to ignore the RTI applications filed by Amarjit Singh Dhamotia of Ludhiana, who has filed more than 500 applications under RTI act and disrupted the routine work of the MC, Ludhiana office.
Disclosing this here, an official Spokesperson of the State Information Commission, Punjab said that Amarjit Singh Dhamotia resident of House No. 60/35-P/376/1, Street No 8, Maha Singh Nagar, Daba Lohara Road, Post office Dhandari Kalan has filed 500 application under RTI act to seek voluminous information, which cannot be provided. It was held that the RTI applications filed by this person have drastically hampered the routine work of the MC, Ludhiana. Many of the officers of the MC office are all-day busy in dealing with his RTI information, whereas other officers have to visit State Information Commission to file reply in the commission on the appeal filed by Amarjit Singh Dhamotia.
While disposing of the appeals filed by Amarjit Singh Dhamotia, State Information Commissioner Mr. Yashvir Mahajan held that “the duty of the commission to see that such blatant act of misuse of RTI act should not be allowed further and such situation needs to be appropriately dealt with to secure the faith of the public in the ‘Sun Shine Act’ and remove obstacles in functioning of public authority, which would eventually prevent public authority from focusing on transparency. His act of running riot with filing repeated application seeking inane and voluminous information has become counter-productive of public interest. The commission cannot allow such fishing operations of the appellant. We see his act as misuse rather abuse of the RTI act with unsavory motives. The commission accordingly disposes all the appeals in hand in terms of section 7 (9) of RTI Act and allows the public authority to ignore his applications in future.”