CIC: Provide the copy of rules / guidelines which might have been framed at any time for issuing car parking labels to both the sitting and former MPs - also provide the number of such labels issued to each MP in the current Parliament
5 Aug, 2013Order
1. In an RTI application addressed to the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, the Appellant had wanted several items of information regarding the car parking tickets/labels issued to both the sitting and former MPs of both the Houses of Parliament. The CPIO of the Ministry had transferred the RTI application each to the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. It appears, the CPIO concerned from each of these Houses had separately responded to the Appellant and provided some information. Not satisfied with whatever information provided to him, he had preferred an appeal. The Appellate Authority had disposed of his appeal by more or less endorsing the information already provided by the CPIO but, in addition, he also provided him with a copy of the guidelines based on which car parking labels were being issued to the Rajya Sabha Members. He had filed similar appeal in the Lok Sabha Secretariat also which the Appellate Authority there had disposed of by upholding the information provided by their CPIO.
2. During the hearing, the Appellant submitted that he should be provided with the written guidelines or instructions or rules, in regard to the issue of car parking labels to the MPs of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. He also wanted the details of the MPs including their names as well as the number of car parking labels issued to each one of them. The respondents representing the Rajya Sabha submitted that the copy of the guidelines based on which such labels were being issued to the Rajya Sabha MPs had already been provided to the Appellant. As regards the other details of the MPs, they submitted that revealing the details of the vehicles of the MPs would not be in the interest of their safety and security and, therefore, they would not like to disclose such details.
3. After carefully considering the facts of the case and the submissions made during the hearing, we think that all that the CPIO concerned of both the Houses need to disclose to the Appellant is not only the copy of any rule or guidelines which might have been framed at any time for issuing car parking labels to both the sitting and former MPs but also the number of such labels issued to each MP in the current Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha without disclosing the number of their vehicles or any other marker which would identify the vehicle being used by any MP. In the light of this, we direct the CPIO concerned of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha to write to the Appellant within 15 working days of receiving this order and to provide him with the above information. The appeal is disposed off accordingly.
(Satyananda Mishra)
Chief Information Commissioner
Citation: Sh. Assem Takyar v. Parliament House /Annexe in File No.CIC/SM/A/2013/000176