KOPPAL
State Information Commissioner B Venkatasingh has announced penalties against 18 government officials for failing to provide information on time under the Right to Information Act and for not responding to notices issued by the Commission. The fines were imposed during hearings conducted in April by the Kalburgi Bench of the State Information Commission.
According to the Commissioner, officials from several departments including Zilla Panchayat, Public Works Department, Revenue Department, and various Gram Panchayats were penalized. Kalburgi Zilla Panchayat Deputy Secretary Lakshman Sringeri was fined Rs 10,000 while Gangavati Taluk Public Works Department Assistant Executive Engineer Devanna Katti was fined Rs 15,000. Raichur Taluk Grade Two Tahsildar Parashuram was fined Rs 5,000.
Several Gram Panchayat Development Officers and Secretaries from districts including Yadgir, Kalburgi, Surapura, Shahapura, Sandur, Karatagi, Lingasugur, and Aland were also fined amounts ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 15,000. The total penalty imposed on all 18 officials reached Rs 1.50 lakh.
The Commissioner stated that 564 cases were taken up for hearing during April and 229 cases were disposed of. He added that since taking charge, the Commission has handled 3,084 cases and disposed of 1,308 cases within 88 days.
Venkatasingh said workshops are being organized across districts to create awareness among officials regarding the Right to Information Act and improve response systems. Awareness programs have already been conducted in Bellary, Bidar, Kalburgi, and Koppal districts. Another workshop is scheduled to be held in Vijayanagar district on May 30 to encourage quicker and more transparent information sharing by government offices across the state.
