The Central Information Commission has directed the cash-strapped national carrier Air India to make public information on free travel facilities provided to their top brass, ministers and parliamentarians.
Information Commissioner Yashowardhan Azad directed the Air India to make public this information within 15 days and also issued a show cause notice to the airlines to explain why it did not give information within mandated 30 days period.
"...Submit written submission, latest by 10th October, 2014, to show cause why penalty should not be imposed on them under Section 20 (1) of the RTI Act, for not providing information within the prescribed period under the RTI Act," Azad said.
The case relates to an RTI application filed by activist Subhash Agrawal who wanted to know guidelines regarding free air-travel extended to ministers, parliamentarians, civil aviation ministry, Air India officials and their family members.
He also demanded estimated annual cost to concerned public sector airlines on such free air travel facilities.
The activist also sought the copy of minutes of meetings of 'Committee on violation of protocol-norms and contemptuous behaviour of government-officers with members of the Lok Sabha'
in Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
When information was not provided to him, he approached the Commission with his appeal.
"On query by the Commission, why the information is not provided till date, the respondents from Air India were not in position to give answer as they had brought the wrong file of the same applicant," Azad pointed out.
Accepting plea of Agrawal to treat his complaint as an appeal, the Commission directed the Air India to provide all the information sought by the activist.
