Skill Development makes an innocent lady as disgruntled
RTI applicant alleges the PIO, ITI of false assertions.
Subjugated lady requests the Director to examine.
jj correspondent
Jammu, May 20: On 05-01-2024 the applicant moved an RTI application to the Superintendent, Govt ITI, Seer Hamdan, Anantnag, Kashmir, seeking information regarding one I D F payee worker in the ITI, (spouse of applicant) on the following points: Copy of engagement letter; Attendance sheet/muster roll till date; Report, if any, about his case of indiscipline, poor performance, habitual absenteeism. Besides, copy of communication, if any, about his suspension, termination, ousting, besides information about legally earned pending amount of wages till date.
On 25-01-24 the concerned PIO, replies to the applicant vide his office letter no. ITI/Seer/Estt/572. But instead of giving point-wise reply as demanded, he drafted a letter comprising of 3 paras: In para 1st he admits the incumbent was engaged as Safaiwala in 2017. In 2nd para he commits that in 2019 vide Circular No. 30-GAD, all such engagements were seized (but does not provide relevant dis-engagement order copy). In 3rd para he admits that the services of the incumbent were utilised in the Institute as attendant of Covid Centre, established in ITI itself till July 2020 and all earned wages were paid. The encloser given with the letter is copy of Circular 30 of GAD dated: 24-05-2019.
The lady applicant is disgruntled for being treated so, perhaps, as belonging to a lower caste of ‘Mochi’ -a marginalized section and as such not provided the required information as per application submitted. The applicant failed to apply to first appellate authority in time for being extremely poor and caught up in difficult financial circumstances at that point of time.
She claims so, as a communication of the same Superintendent, addressed to the Director, Skill Development, vide letter No. ITI/Seer/Estt/115-116, Dated: 17-05-2023, shows name of the incumbent on s.no. 3 along with other IDF payees among whom one is engaged on 10/2011 as Chowkidar and another in 2018 as part time sweeper, demanding allotment of funds out of central pool for payment of wages to the IDF paid workers.
Secondly, another communication of the same Superintendent, addressed to the Joint Director, Kashmir, Skill Development, vide No. ITI/Seer/Estt/556-57, dated 27-02-2025 for allotment of funds for the IDF paid workers includes the name of one worker shown engaged on 21-10-2011. The communication excludes the name of the worker whose information was sought through RTI as has been verbally told in June 2024 not to come to the Institute and also the information of another worker engaged in 2018 existing in letter no.2015-2016 of 2023 quoted above is excluded as reportedly the same worker is paid through Gem portal out of existing IDF funds in the ITI and is working continuously till date.
The aggrieved RTI applicant senses some bias from concerned DDO against her spouse as the information is not provided as per the application and the provided part is based on false assertions and in a roundabout way the Circular 30 GAD of 2019 is used as a tool to threaten the subject without implementing it as per rule and not implementing it at all in respect of others. And it is to be noted that if the said incumbent was disengaged as per Circular 30 of GAD 2019, with all pending wages paid as claimed in the reply to RTI, why was his name included in letter no. 2015-2016 of 17-05-2023, submitted to the Director, among workers with pending wages and why and how was he engaged as a covid warrior, in 2020?
The applicant, while speaking to the JJ correspondent, requested the Director/Joint Director of Skill Development to consider the facts presented by her, examine the case, and ensure justice is served to the aggrieved party regarding the false assertions made in response to the RTI application, or to issue appropriate directions in light of the referenced official communications.
