GURUGRAM:
Lokayukta has issued a notice to the Gurgaon district administration, ordering an inquiry to find out if stamp paper
vendors are
charging a fee which is more than the designated price.
The notice has been issued following a complaint by a Gurgaon-based RTI activist, Aseem Takyar, who alleged that the vendors are selling stamps for exorbitant prices.
"When a person wants to purchase a
stamp paper of any denomination, the vendors charge a commission. For example, if any citizen wants a stamp paper of Rs 10, he is asked to pay Rs 15. This is illegal," Takyar said.
Takyar informed the Lokayukta that the department of revenue and disaster management in his RTI reply informed that stamp vendors are not authorised to charge any commission as the department itself gives them commission as per norms.
The RTI reply revealed that the deputy commissioner of Gurgaon in July 2016 had issued a direction to display a notice outside each issuing stamp paper shop that no commission is payable while purchase of stamp paper.
"Despite instruction from the deputy commissioner, none of the stamp paper vendors have installed notice board outside their shops nor any official of the district revenue office have made any effort to ensure installation of notice board," said Takyar.
Takyar claimed that he had also filed an appeal with state information commissioner on the issue, following which the commission in February 2017 issued directions to the officials of the district administration to ensure that the boards are in place.
Elaborating on the matter, Takyar said the mandate of information commission is only restricted to see whether information was provided or not. "Therefore I was left with no option but to approach Lokayukta," Takyar said.
Meanwhile, senior officials of the district administration said that concerned officials have been directed to ensure implementation of the directions. It may be noted that most of the stamp paper vendors are either lawyers or their associates. "We don't support overcharging of stamp papers and will provide all support to the administration in implementing the order," said Sudesh Yadav, president of Gurgaon district bar association.
