Madurai: An applicant under the Right to Information Act, 2005 here is taken aback by a demand made by the Public Information Officer-cum-Personal Assistant (General) of Thanjavur Collector to deposit Rs.80 in government account for providing a photocopy of the 40-page gazette notification containing the names of revenue villages in the district.
Stating that the money had been demanded over and above the mandatory fee of Rs.10 paid through court fee stamp affixed on his RTI application, advocate R.Lakshminarayanan wondered how could government authority demand Rs,2 for photocopying each page when even those who do the job on commercial basis do not charge more than Re.1 per page.
The PIO did not reply to the application within the statutory time limit of 30 days in the first instance, thereby forcing the RTI applicant to prefer a first appeal before the Collector on February 29. Subsequently, on March 4, the PIO sent a reply to the advocate stating that the gazette notification was 40 pages long and hence he must deposit Rs.80 at the rate of Rs.2 per page.
( Madurai edition of The Hindu, Sunday, March 20, 2016 )
Courtesy: MPS
Stating that the money had been demanded over and above the mandatory fee of Rs.10 paid through court fee stamp affixed on his RTI application, advocate R.Lakshminarayanan wondered how could government authority demand Rs,2 for photocopying each page when even those who do the job on commercial basis do not charge more than Re.1 per page.
The PIO did not reply to the application within the statutory time limit of 30 days in the first instance, thereby forcing the RTI applicant to prefer a first appeal before the Collector on February 29. Subsequently, on March 4, the PIO sent a reply to the advocate stating that the gazette notification was 40 pages long and hence he must deposit Rs.80 at the rate of Rs.2 per page.
( Madurai edition of The Hindu, Sunday, March 20, 2016 )
Courtesy: MPS
