Action taken on letter seeking correction in the DOB of appellant’s wife in the PBs - CIC: Office of Defence Estates, Jorhat is directed to obtain the information from the PCDA Allahabad and latest status of action taken on the appellant’s representation

Information sought:

The Appellant filed an RTI application dated 07.02.2022 seeking the following information:

“Reference: My following letter No. regarding correction in the DOB of my wife in the PBs.

a) Letter No. APB/12 dated 15-11-2019 addressed to you enclosing a copy of CDA Pensions Allahabad letter No. TCPC/grievances dated 30-08- 2019 suggesting certain actions to be taken for this purpose.

b) Reminder letter No. APB/12 dated 28-12-2019 addressed to you for speeding up the matter.

c) Reminder letter No. APB/14 dated 20-02-2020 addressed to you for again for taking requisite action.”

However, despite a lapse of more than 2 years, I am still totally in the dark about the action taken in the matter as per CSA mentioned in a) above.

In this connection, the following information is waved by me:

a) What action was initiated/ taken for resolving the matter envisaged in CDA’s letter dated 30-08-2019?

b) Present status of this case.

c) A proposal was sent in this regard, a copy of the same may please be provided for my information and action taken with the CDA Allahabad.

However, no action has been taken despite a delay of more than 2 years. What measures and how soon will be taken for resolving the matter.”

The CPIO, Principal Directorate, Defence Estate, Kolkata has transferred the RTI to the CPIO, Office of the Defence Estates, Jorhat on 07.03.2022 for providing required information directly to the applicant.

Being dissatisfied, the appellant filed a First Appeal dated 04.05.2022. The FAA order is not on record.

Feeling aggrieved and dissatisfied, appellant approached the Commission with the instant Second Appeal.

Relevant Facts emerged during Hearing:

The following were present:-

Appellant: Present through NIC

Respondent: Ambika Kr. Pathak, CPIO (Admin.), Pompi Barua, CPIO (Tech.), Jorhat, and Shri Puspak Kumar Hati, CPIO, Kolkata appeared through NIC.

The appellant inter alia submitted that D.O.B of his wife in the pension order, issued by the PCDA (pensions), Allahabad was wrongly mentioned which came to his notice in the year 2018. Therefore, he has submitted his application to DEO Johrat for doing the needful in this connection and forwarded a copy of PAN card and Adhaar Card of his wife. He stated that since, there was no response from DEO Johrat for quite some time, he wrote to its controlling officer principal Director Defense Estate Kolkata for advising the DEO to do the needful and also sent reminders. Thereafter, the appellant filed instant RTI application and sought information regarding action taken on his representation and reminders. However, he stated that no satisfactory response was given by the respondent till the date of hearing.

The respondent No. 1 (Kolkata) while presenting their case inter alia submitted that since the matter pertained to Jorhat office, the RTI application was forwarded to the concerned CPIO, Jorhat circle under section 6 (3) of the RTI application for providing the requisite information directly to the appellant as per the provisions of the RTI Act.

The respondent No. 2 (Jorhat) while defending their case inter alia submitted that the appellant has by himself filled up the pension papers wherein DOB of his wife was filled-in. Thereafter, in 2019, the appellant started writing to them for correction of date of birth of his wife. The respondent No. 2 also informed that for correction of DOB of the appellant’s wife, they had forwarded the matter to the PCDA, Allahabad and also sent reminders in this regard.

Decision:

The Commission after adverting to the facts and circumstances of the case, hearing both the parties and perusal of the records, notes that the appellant sought information regarding action taken for resolving the matter envisaged in CDA’s letter dated 30-08-2019 for corrections of DOB of his wife.

The respondent No. 1 (Kolkata) has transferred the RTI application to the concerned CPIO, Jorhat circle under section 6 (3) of the RTI application for providing the requisite information directly to the appellant as per the provisions of the RTI Act. Thereafter, the Respondent No. 2, representing Jorhat Circle, stated during the hearing that the appellant had personally completed the pension documents, including the DOB of his wife. The appellant subsequently began writing to them in 2019 to request that the date of birth of his wife be corrected. Respondent No. 2 further stated that they had escalated the issue of the appellant's wife's DOB correction to the PCDA, Allahabad, and issued reminders regarding this matter. However, they failed to provide the present status of the case.

In view of the above, the respondent No. 2 is directed to obtain the information from the concerned office (PCDA Allahabad) and provide the revised information i.e. the latest status of action taken on the appellant’s representation within three weeks from the date of receipt of this order.

The appeal is dismissed accordingly.

Vinod Kumar Tiwari

Information Commissioner

Citation: Anand Prakash Bhandari v. Principal Directorate, Defence Estate, Eastern Command and Office of the Defence Estates Officer, Jorhat Circle, File No : CIC/DIGDE/A/2022/146316; Date of Decision : 12-01-2024