the goan I network
PANAJI
The information commissioner has instructed the Director of Panchayat to ensure that every village panchayat maintains well formatted and user-friendly website displaying all information in public domain.
“The commission accordingly directs the Director of Panchayat who is the Head of the Department (HOD) having control over Panchayats to ensure that each and every village Panchayat has well formatted and user-friendly website displaying all information held with the public authority in the public domain while also taking steps to implement section 4(1) (a) and 4 (1)(b) more so, in View of the order passed by the Hon’ble High Court of Bombay at Goa in Writ Petition No. 42/2019. This will not only help reduce RTI applications but lead to better transparency, accountability and openness of governance,” says the order issued by state Information Commissioner Juino De Souza.
The Information Commissioner has issued the order while disposing the appeal
of social activist Kashinath Shetye over a RTI application filed in Curti-Khandepar Panchayat.
Shetye has gone into appeal before Commission after the Public Information officer ie secretary of Curti-Khandepar Village Panchayat told him to pay 1.37 lakh for collection of documents of 19 RTI applications of him.
Shetye has brought to the notice of the Commissioner that as per High Court order the village panchayats should maintain the updated website and argued that panchayats should provide information in public domain free of cost on these websites.
