Copies of supply slips of LPG gas cylinder - PIO: inspection offered as slips run into 36,000 pages - Appellant produced his BPL card while claiming to be a journalist - CIC: inspection to be arranged and appellant be supplied up to 200 pages free of cost
20 Nov, 2013Copies of supply slips of LPG gas cylinder - PIO: inspection offered as total number of pages would run into around 36,000 pages - Appellant insists that he be provided with photocopies of desired documents free of cost as he belongs to BPL category - He produces his BPL card while also claiming himself to be a journalist by profession - CIC: the PIO to arrange the inspection of records and the Appellant shall be allowed to take authenticated copies of supply slips up to 200 pages
ORDER
The present appeal, filed by Shri Phool Singh against Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Noida, was taken up for hearing on 21.10.2013 when the Respondents were present through Shri Umesh C. S. Bisht, Sr. I.S. Manager, Shr Sukrit Dutt, Ch. Manager (LPG S) and Shri Abhishek Kumar, Law Officer. The Appellant was present in person.
2. The Appellant through RTI application dated nil (sent by post on 21.12.2012) wanted to know:
1) how many L.P.G. gas cylinders had been demanded by the proprietor of a gas agency, namely, Chetna Indane Gas Service, Shastri Nagar, Meerut from the Indian Oil Corporation Limited during the period November, 2011 to December, 2011 and January, 2012 to February, 2012; and
2) details of supply of said L.P.G. gas cylinders to the consumers along with copies of supply slips, and copies of their identity proof and permanent addresses.
3. The CPIO vide his letter dated 26.02.2013 furnished the numbers of L.P.G. gas cylinders provided to the said gas agency by the Indian Oil Corporation and the numbers of L.P.G. gas cylinders supplied by the said agency to the consumers for the period mentioned in the RTI application. As for the supply slips and other details, the CPIO, while mentioning that this information is available with the distributor, gave the contact number of the Field Officer concerned to the Appellant and advised him to contact the said officer for obtaining the reaming information.
4. Dissatisfied with this reply of the CPIO, the Appellant filed an appeal dated 11.03.2013 before the Appellate Authority which the Appellate Authority decided vide his order dated 08.04.2013 upholding the CPIO’s reply.
5. The Appellant then filed the present appeal before the Commission alleging that the information given by the CPIO is incomplete and incorrect.
6. During the hearing, the Respondents state that the information in question (i.e. copies of supply slips; names and address of the consumers) is maintained by respective distributors/dealers (M/s Chetna Gas, Meerut in this case) and that they had thus advised the Appellant to contact the concerned filed officer for obtaining this information. They also point out that the information sought by the Appellant here is voluminous in nature. According to them, around 9000 cylinders are issued per month (to the agency mentioned hereinabove) and for each cylinder one ‘supply slip’ is issued. Since the Appellant here had requested for the information for 4 months, the total number of pages which would be required to be given to him would run into around 36,000/- pages (9000×4). They mention that making photocopies of around 9000 pages of ‘supply slips’ would also be very difficult for them. They, therefore, suggest that the Appellant may be asked to inspect the records, containing the supply slips, available with the distributor/dealer and identify from there the ‘supply slips’, copies of which he actually needed. The Appellant, present during the hearing, accepts the Respondents’ offer of inspection, but insists that he be provided with photocopies of desired documents free of cost as he belongs to BPL category. He produces his BPL card before the Commission, while, however, at the same time, also claiming himself to be a journalist by profession.
7. In view of the above, the Commission hereby directs the CPIO to arrange the inspection of records, containing the ‘supply slips’ in respect of the supply of L.P.G. cylinders by the M/s Chetna Gas, Meerut for the period mentioned by the Appellant in his RTI application, for the Appellant. Following the inspection the Appellant shall be allowed to take authenticated copies of supply slips which he may like to select from the inspected records. Considering the Appellant’s claim that he belongs to BPL category, the CPIO should provide to him 200 pages (which is a reasonable amount of information) free of cost.
8. Appeal is disposed of with the above directions, which are to be complied with within 3 weeks of receipt of this order.
(Sushma Singh)
Information Commissioner
Citation: Shri Phool Singh v. Indian Oil Corporation Limited, in Case No.CIC/LS/A/2013/001059SS