State information commissioner H N Krishna on Saturday fined an official from Mandya for delaying information sought under the Right to Information Act.
Hearing the petitions filed before the information court, the commissioner took the taluk panchayat official of K R Pet taluk to task and fined him Rs 5,000. The application was pending before him for nine months.
"Officials must provide details within 30 days of filing of the application. In case the information is given after the specific period, the copies should be provided free of cost," the commissioner stated.
Information is taxpayers’ right and it is the duty of officials to provide the same to them, he said. Action would be taken against the officers who do not provide details within a specific period. The fine amount will be deducted from their salaries.
Krishna said when the officials do not have information required by an individual, they have to transfer the applications to the other officers or get the details from them. "They can’t escape saying they do not have the details or return the application," he said.