Ht Rti
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Hindustan Times
Special RTI Drives home truth: 'Misuse of vehicles by Info Commissioners Pawan Sharma Chandigarh, May 15 AS THE quasi-judicial arbiters on the Right to Information (RTI) Act that aims to bring transparency and accountability in the public domain, State Information Commissioners are expected to be the paragons of probity and prudence. This lofty percept, however, hardly drives some of the eight incumbents of this constitutional post in Punjab, going by the alleged misuse of official cars — an indiscretion that has consumed Rs 11.68 lakh of taxpayers’ money in the past 14 months. Ironically, information procured from the state Information Commission under the RTI Act, by intrepid RTI activist-High Court advocate H.C.Arora, has revealed how certain Information Commissioners have been travelling on weekend and even gazetted holidays — all in the name of performing official duty. As a matter of fact, the Commissioners attend office and hold court on a twice-a-week basis and their offices are closed on weekends and official holidays. Topping the list of violators are Rupan Deol Bajaj and P.K.Verma,who would beat even a diehard workaholic if their official carlog records are anything to go by. Between January 2008 and March 2009, both former bureaucrats apparently worked in their offices on most of Saturdays and, at times, even on Sundays and other gazetted holidays. Incredibly enough, Bajaj used her official car on 61 Saturdays and Sundays and was “attending office” on 10 declared holidays, including Republic Day, Independence Day and Christmas — logging 5,942 km. Which means an average travel of 84 km on a single day. This, despite the fact that her palatial Sector 16 residence is barely 3 km from the State Information Commission office in Sector 17. Verma has shown an equal penchant for office work on holidays! Verma used his official car on 55 holidays between January 2008 and March 14, 2009, clocking 3,580 km. In other words, 65 km a day, while his Sector 7 residence is not more than 3 km from his office. A closer scrutiny of logbook records of some Commissioners reveals yet another glaring misuse of official cars even on working days. Bajaj’s official car logged a daily average of 90 kms for official purposes on 270 working days. Verma clocked daily local travel of 6080 km during 190 working days. Likewise, Information Commissioner R.K. Gupta, whose residence is in Sector 11, drove his official car for 5080 km on most working days and clocked 90 kms a day on 27 occasions. Such free-wheeling use of official cars has, of course, been burning a hole in the state exchequer. Between January ’08 and March ’09, Bajaj claimed fuel bills worth Rs 2.12 lakh, Ravi Singh Rs 1.69 lakh, R.K. Gupta Rs 1,28,137, P.K. Verma Rs 1.12 lakh, Surinder Singh Rs 1.12 lakh and Kulbir Singh Rs 95,000. The Commission Secretary has been equally prolific in use of the official car as evident from his fuel bill of Rs 1.21 lakh for the period.
Not that everyone at the helm of the Commission is imprudent. In sharp contrast to unusually high official bills of colleagues, Lt Gen P.K.Grover (retd) has been the most economical as he spent just Rs 66,307 on fuel bill. Lt Gen Grover travelled a minimum of 10 and maximum of 30 kms on 100 working days, while 30 to 55 kms on near 90 other days on official duty in Chandigarh. Unlike Bajaj and Verma, the former Army officer never travelled out on official duty on Saturdays and his fuel bill is the lowest at Rs 66,000 although he stays at Manimajra. Another Information Commissioner P.P.S.Gill stands out for not travelling in the official car on holidays. His meticulously-kept logbooks show that he travelled just 16 to 35 km locally on working days. As per the Punjab Government circular, the Information Commissioners are entitled to use of an official car at par with Principal Secretaries. However, some Commissioners have been contesting this and have written to the state government that they be treated at par with the Chief Secretary in terms of perks, including unlimited use of official vehicle. The government is yet to take a clear stand on this. Notwithstanding certain Commissioners’ extensive travel for official duty even on holidays, the state Information Commission has been drawing flak for not holding daily courts. Over 1,000 cases are pending for disposal with the Commission, and a PIL is already pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the issue. With revelations on certain Information Commissioners’ overdrive in use of official vehicles, Arora has petitioned the Punjab Governor Gen S.F.Rodrigues (retd) seeking an inquiry into their alleged misconduct. OFFICIAL WHETHER AKHAND PATH OR FUNERAL: BAJAJ Asked about her official car plying even on holidays, Rupan Deol Bajaj said: “I do not know what you are talking about. It cannot be… I do not know which logbook you are talking about.” When pressed, Bajaj added: “I will have to stand by it... but I authorised my private secretary to fill the logbook. Whatever he has filled, I stand by that.” Asked how would she justify covering on an average of 90 km on official duty every working day, she said: “My garage is in Mohali and the vehicle goes there everyday. Moreover, we get invited to various places officially. It is official whether I am going to attend an Akhand Path or a funeral.” GUPTA:
HAVE
TO
GO
TO
VARIOUS
PLACES
Gupta ducked the question on his car logging 50-60 kms everyday even as his residence is in Sector 11. “We have to go to various places, at times to meet my dentist in Panchkula.” Gupta, who deposits Rs 300 per month in lieu of using the car for private purposes, said: “There is a government policy under which an officer of the rank of Financial Commissioner and head of department can use staff car up to 500 kms a month for private use by paying Rs 300.” VERMA:
NO
LIMIT
ON
FUEL
CONSUMPTION
I hold court on Thursday and Friday and often go to office on Saturday to finalise orders and complete other office work.” Verma said the Commission had written several times to the state government to know the limit on petrol consumption of the Chief Secretary as the
Commissioners are at par with the CS. “But the government has never informed us. There is no limit. Why did the government not inform us about the limit?” he asked.
Special RTI Drives home truth: 'Misuse of vehicles by Info Commissioners Pawan Sharma Chandigarh, May 15 AS THE quasi-judicial arbiters on the Right to Information (RTI) Act that aims to bring transparency and accountability in the public domain, State Information Commissioners are expected to be the paragons of probity and prudence. This lofty percept, however, hardly drives some of the eight incumbents of this constitutional post in Punjab, going by the alleged misuse of official cars — an indiscretion that has consumed Rs 11.68 lakh of taxpayers’ money in the past 14 months. Ironically, information procured from the state Information Commission under the RTI Act, by intrepid RTI activist-High Court advocate H.C.Arora, has revealed how certain Information Commissioners have been travelling on weekend and even gazetted holidays — all in the name of performing official duty. As a matter of fact, the Commissioners attend office and hold court on a twice-a-week basis and their offices are closed on weekends and official holidays. Topping the list of violators are Rupan Deol Bajaj and P.K.Verma,who would beat even a diehard workaholic if their official carlog records are anything to go by. Between January 2008 and March 2009, both former bureaucrats apparently worked in their offices on most of Saturdays and, at times, even on Sundays and other gazetted holidays. Incredibly enough, Bajaj used her official car on 61 Saturdays and Sundays and was “attending office” on 10 declared holidays, including Republic Day, Independence Day and Christmas — logging 5,942 km. Which means an average travel of 84 km on a single day. This, despite the fact that her palatial Sector 16 residence is barely 3 km from the State Information Commission office in Sector 17. Verma has shown an equal penchant for office work on holidays! Verma used his official car on 55 holidays between January 2008 and March 14, 2009, clocking 3,580 km. In other words, 65 km a day, while his Sector 7 residence is not more than 3 km from his office. A closer scrutiny of logbook records of some Commissioners reveals yet another glaring misuse of official cars even on working days. Bajaj’s official car logged a daily average of 90 kms for official purposes on 270 working days. Verma clocked daily local travel of 6080 km during 190 working days. Likewise, Information Commissioner R.K. Gupta, whose residence is in Sector 11, drove his official car for 5080 km on most working days and clocked 90 kms a day on 27 occasions. Such free-wheeling use of official cars has, of course, been burning a hole in the state exchequer. Between January ’08 and March ’09, Bajaj claimed fuel bills worth Rs 2.12 lakh, Ravi Singh Rs 1.69 lakh, R.K. Gupta Rs 1,28,137, P.K. Verma Rs 1.12 lakh, Surinder Singh Rs 1.12 lakh and Kulbir Singh Rs 95,000. The Commission Secretary has been equally prolific in use of the official car as evident from his fuel bill of Rs 1.21 lakh for the period.
Not that everyone at the helm of the Commission is imprudent. In sharp contrast to unusually high official bills of colleagues, Lt Gen P.K.Grover (retd) has been the most economical as he spent just Rs 66,307 on fuel bill. Lt Gen Grover travelled a minimum of 10 and maximum of 30 kms on 100 working days, while 30 to 55 kms on near 90 other days on official duty in Chandigarh. Unlike Bajaj and Verma, the former Army officer never travelled out on official duty on Saturdays and his fuel bill is the lowest at Rs 66,000 although he stays at Manimajra. Another Information Commissioner P.P.S.Gill stands out for not travelling in the official car on holidays. His meticulously-kept logbooks show that he travelled just 16 to 35 km locally on working days. As per the Punjab Government circular, the Information Commissioners are entitled to use of an official car at par with Principal Secretaries. However, some Commissioners have been contesting this and have written to the state government that they be treated at par with the Chief Secretary in terms of perks, including unlimited use of official vehicle. The government is yet to take a clear stand on this. Notwithstanding certain Commissioners’ extensive travel for official duty even on holidays, the state Information Commission has been drawing flak for not holding daily courts. Over 1,000 cases are pending for disposal with the Commission, and a PIL is already pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the issue. With revelations on certain Information Commissioners’ overdrive in use of official vehicles, Arora has petitioned the Punjab Governor Gen S.F.Rodrigues (retd) seeking an inquiry into their alleged misconduct. OFFICIAL WHETHER AKHAND PATH OR FUNERAL: BAJAJ Asked about her official car plying even on holidays, Rupan Deol Bajaj said: “I do not know what you are talking about. It cannot be… I do not know which logbook you are talking about.” When pressed, Bajaj added: “I will have to stand by it... but I authorised my private secretary to fill the logbook. Whatever he has filled, I stand by that.” Asked how would she justify covering on an average of 90 km on official duty every working day, she said: “My garage is in Mohali and the vehicle goes there everyday. Moreover, we get invited to various places officially. It is official whether I am going to attend an Akhand Path or a funeral.” GUPTA:
HAVE
TO
GO
TO
VARIOUS
PLACES
Gupta ducked the question on his car logging 50-60 kms everyday even as his residence is in Sector 11. “We have to go to various places, at times to meet my dentist in Panchkula.” Gupta, who deposits Rs 300 per month in lieu of using the car for private purposes, said: “There is a government policy under which an officer of the rank of Financial Commissioner and head of department can use staff car up to 500 kms a month for private use by paying Rs 300.” VERMA:
NO
LIMIT
ON
FUEL
CONSUMPTION
I hold court on Thursday and Friday and often go to office on Saturday to finalise orders and complete other office work.” Verma said the Commission had written several times to the state government to know the limit on petrol consumption of the Chief Secretary as the
Commissioners are at par with the CS. “But the government has never informed us. There is no limit. Why did the government not inform us about the limit?” he asked.
