Officials of Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), earlier known as HUDA, were directed on Tuesday to share information with residents sought under the Right to Information (RTI) Act promptly.

The directions came after an RTI reply from the State Information Commission (SIC) revealed that a number of HSVP officials had been fined for not sharing information and a large number of RTI applications were pending particularly in estate office 2 of the HSVP.

Chander Shekhar Khare, HSVP, administrator, Gurugram, said that he had taken cognizance of the matter and strict directions have been issued to officials in both estate offices 1 and 2 for sharing information promptly and within the time frame prescribed by RTI rules.

“It has come to my notice that sharing of information has become a matter of concern, particularly in estate office 2, where nearly 500 replies are pending. I have asked officials to reply to pending queries at the earliest,” said Khare.

As per the RTI complaint filed by activist Hemant Kumar, the SIC revealed that since 2014, 23 HSVP officials have been penalised for delaying the information or for not sharing the information under RTI Act. It was also revealed that SIC had imposed a penalty of Rs 25,000 in 17 instances and in six matters, while the amount was lesser, the total penalties amounted to Rs 4.69 lakh.

When asked about the matter, Hemant Kumar said that he had sought information about the penalties imposed on officials by SIC, and added that the problem related to information denial under RTI Act was a serious one.

“Not sharing information with applicants is a clear violation of the RTI Act. It is time more powers are given to the commission to get its orders implemented. The penalties imposed on the officials should be realised at the earliest,” he asserted.

Khare said that he will keep a tight vigil on this matter and hold the next review meeting on March 26.

First Published: Mar 15, 2019 03:39 IST