REITEARION OF GUIDELINES, IN DEALING WITH THE RTI APPLICATIONS AND TAKING COGENT DECISION IN APPEALS (SECTION 19(6) OF THE RTI ACT, 2005) EXPLAINED UNDER SECTION 26.

The public information officers/First Appellate authorities should keep in mind the salient features of the guidelines in supply of information to the information seeker and disposal of first appeals respective, so that information seekers may not resort to filing of second Appeals before the information Commussons. The relevant salient features of the guidelines are reiterated below for consideration of the public information officers and the first appellate authorities vide GI DoP&T memo number 1/32/2013-IR dated 17-2-2015.As for reitearion of guidelines under section 26 of the RTI Act is concerned, the Act requires the government to compile a guide containing such information, in any easily comprehensible form and manner, as may reasonably be required by a person who wishes to exercise any right specified in the Act. Further it requires, the Government to update the guide at regular intervals.Of course, if the public information officer, fail to give decision on the request for information within the prescribe period, thirty or 45 days as the case may be prescribed for the delivery in favor of the applicant (time limit for disposing of applications) he shall be deemed to have refused the request. It is pertinent to note that if a public authority fails to comply with the specified time limit, the information to the concerned applicant would have to be provided free of cost . It is particularly mentioned here that a decision issued by the FAA cum Superintending Engineer 10 th Circle HPPWD, Bilaspur, ordered vide appeal number number 12/2023 dated, 30-1-2024 clearly providing free of cost information to applicant with directions for comply with the instructions to PIO -Cum EO 10 th Circle HPPWD Bilaspur Himachal Pradesh but the concerned public information officer taking no cognisance of the order of his FAA and issue and matter kept pending before the FAA and requests too made before the higher authorities for intervention under section 19(6) of the RTI act, 2005 , but no action against the defaulters taken by the HOD and the Secretary of the department since decision of the department of administrative reforms to issue point wise reply of lettrer dated, 4-10-2023 and issue and matter kept pending which is highly objectionable matter of fact and concern to be noticed by the higher authorities responsible for intervention in the present circumstances when no information Commissioner of the designated institution placed in the SIC, since long and after retirement of the SIC and CIC remained in the office of the State Information Commissioner for the previous tenure of the appointments under sub section, 3 of Section 15 of the Right to Information Act, 2005 :-- Er Fateh chand Guleria, Director RTI welfare Association registered number HPCD, 3552 , Bilaspur Himachal Pradesh phone number, 9459334377