The Uttarakhand Information Commission has served a notice to the Rajaji national park director and deputy director asking why should penalty not be imposed on them for not following an order under the Right To Information Act.
The notice was served to the Rajaji public information officer (deputy director) and the department appellate officer (director) earlier this month in a case pertaining to the request of Gauri Maulekhi of the PFA for details of lantana eradication work undertaken in the national park.
In the notice dated September 4, the State Information Commission has stated that the applicant had complained that the order issued earlier by the commission to the national park regarding inspection of lantana eradication work had not been followed.
The commission has sought an explanation for non-observance of the order and asked the officials concerned why they should not be penalised under the RTI Act section 18 (1)(f).
They have been called to explain their stand with all evidence at the commission on September 23.
It is worth mentioning here that earlier in August, the Information Commission had imposed a penalty of Rs 25,000 on the Rajaji deputy director and public information officer HK Singh for not enabling Maulekhi to inspect work undertaken for lantana eradication in different ranges of the national park.
She had requested a chance to inspect the work which was denied by Singh on the grounds that there was no provision for allowing inspections under the RTI Act.
Following this the Chief Information Commissioner NS Napalchyal had sought an explanation from the PIO and written to the principal chief conservator of forests to ensure that department officers were instructed to facilitate inspection of works as provided under the Act.