Copies of agreement between J&K government and NHPC to be disclosed
6 Jul, 2013
An application was filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking to get the copies of agreements executed by the State of Jammu & Kashmir with the National Hydroelectric Project Corporation (NHPC) over execution of various power projects in the state. The application also sought to get information about the share of the state in the projects owned/run by the NHPC.
The public information officer of the Power Development Department (PDD) of J&K stated in the reply that the agreements concerning Salal and Dul Hasti projects were not available with the department. Regarding other projects like Chutak, Nimo Bazgo, Kishen Ganga, Uri II, Bursar, Sewa II and Pakul Dul power projects, the PIO provided the copies of the Memoranda of Understanding.
The applicant, dissatisfied with the reply, approached the State Information Commission (SIC) claiming that the information provided to him was not relevant to his query. After hearing the case, the SIC agreed with the appellant contending that memorandum is not an agreement. The commission has directed the PIO to pass a fresh order furnishing all information pertaining to the appellant's queries within 15 days. It also directed that the order be uploaded on the department's website.