ORDER

Information sought:

The Appellant filed an RTI Application dated 03.11.2020 seeking information on the following five points:

1) “Please provide me the details of rent/lease payment being paid to the Regional P. F. Commissioner Sh. Bhupendra Singh as well as Smt. Anita Sinha Dixit Addl. CPFC, Haryana.

2) Please also provide me the detail of maintenance of commissioner House in Bhavishya Nidhi Cololny Sect – 30, Faridabad.

3) Please also intimated who is residing in Commissioner House or it is lying vacant for which date.

4) The copy of the lease deal in respect of Sh. Bhupendra Singh RPFC – I, may also be provided.

5) If the Commissioner House is lying vacant why the said House is not allowed to the competent officer.”

The APFC/CPIO, Employees Provident Fund Organisation, Ministry of Labour & Employement, Regional Office: Faridabad vide letter dated 08.12.2020, informed to the Appellant as under:

Being dissatisfied, the Appellant filed a First Appeal dated 24.12.2020. The First Appellate Authority vide order dated 15.01.2021, informed that information had already been provided to Appellant.

Grounds for Second Appeal:

The Appellant filed a Second Appeal u/s 19 of the Act on the ground of unsatisfactory reply furnished by the Respondent. Appellant requested the Commission to direct the CPIO to provide complete information sought for.

Submissions made by Appellant and Respondent during Hearing:

The Appellant did not participate in the hearing despite being served the hearing notice.

The Respondent submitted that point-wise reply has already been furnished to the Appellant to which the Commission interjected that in the said reply with respect to point no.2, the Appellant is seeking information pertaining to Sector-30, Faridabad whereas the reply is relating to Sector 29, so the reply seems to be evasive & vague to which the respondent submitted that the said reply has been given by the then CPIO. The Respondent further submitted that there is no such designated Commissioner House, nevertheless there is a quarter which can be availed by any Commissioner, however, for last many year none has resided there and for the same reason no expenditure has been incurred in its maintenance. Hence, no information with respect to the maintenance is available. The Respondent further submitted that information with respect to Point no. 1 does not exit since none of the Commissioners are being paid lease/rent payment.

Decision:

Upon perusal of the facts on record as well as on the basis of the proceedings during the hearing, the Commission observes that a vague and evasive reply has been furnished to the Appellant by the Respondent. Further, the Commission finds it prudent to direct the Respondent to furnish a revised and detailed reply to the Appellant within a time frame of 15 days from the date of receipt of this order.

With the above observations, the instant Second Appeal is disposed of.

Copy of the decision be provided free of cost to the parties.

The Appeal, hereby, stands disposed of.