File No. SIC/K/Comp/03/2015 Decision No. SIC/K/Comp/03/2015/05 In the complaint: Titled: Ab. Rashid Sheikh v/s RTO Kashmir Present: 1. Mr. Mehmood Ahmad Shah, RTO Kashmir. 2. Mr. Manzoor Ahmad, ARTO. Srinagar 17.04.2015 Brief facts of the case are that Abdul Rashid Sheikh s/o Ghulam Ahmad Sheikh r/o Khrew Pampore filed an application under J&K RTI Act, 2009 through Registered Post on 12.12.2014 addressed to Chief Inspector (ARTO) Board of Inspection, Srinagar seeking following information: 1. Please provide me details of questions asked (traffic signs and otherwise) to aspiring persons appearing for trials for issuance of Driving License before your office. 2. Please provide me details of days each week on which trails have been conducted w.e.f. January 2014 till November 15 th 2014.
3. Please provide me details of number of persons who have appeared for each trial w.e.f. January 2014 till November 15 th 2014. 4. Please provide me details of persons who passed these trails and issued Driving Licenses w.e.f. January 2014 till November 15 th 2014, giving their names/parentage/residential address etc as submitted by them. 5. Please provide me details of officers/officials who conducted these trails w.e.f. January 2014 till November 15 th 2014 alongwith details of their parent departments etc. Thereafter the information seeker filed a complaint before Commission on 22.01.2015 stating that requisite information has not been provided to him by PIO and failed to discharge his legal duties as cast under the Act. The complainant requested the Commission to initiate proceeding against the erring officer besides information sought by him may be provided to him. In response to complaint Shri Sheikh Manzoor Ahmad ARTO/Chief MVI Board of Inspector filed reply/counter statement dated 23.02.2015. Upon perusal of reply of ARTO, the Commission in its interim order dated 06.03.2015 observed and directed as under: - From the counter statement of the ARTO, it is evident that designated PIO is RTO Kashmir and ARTO has rightly transferred this application to the designated PIO (RTO). However, instead of disposing of RTI application as per Section 6 of the Act, PIO has
forwarded application to ARTO. PIO is required to explain this lapse on his part. The Commission has noted that information sought by the information seeker generally falls under Section 4 of the J&K RTI Act, 2009 i.e. obligation of Public Authorities. As per Section 4(b), every Public Authority is required to publish a set of 17 information (4) b(i to xivv) within one hundred and twenty days from the commencement of the Act and disseminate such information as per sub-section 3 & 4 of Section 4. In order to ascertain the compliance of this Section of the Act, PIO/ RTO Kashmir is directed to appear before the Commission on the next date of hearing alongwith compliance of Section 4 of the Act and mode of dissemination including putting on website. In compliance to the directions of the Commission, RTO Kashmir filed his reply/counter statement as under: - 1. That since 2007, the Department has been uploading the information with regard to the driving licenses and registration through two softwares viz. Vahaan (for registration of vehicles) and Saarthi (for driving licenses). 2. The two softwares have been designed by NIC (National Information Centre) and have been made applicable throughout India. Under the said software s all the processes related to registration of vehicles and issuance of driving licenses are carried out. Once the vehicle is registered or driving licenses is issued, registration No. and license No. automatically gets generated on the respective software s.
3. That said software s work in off-lien mode wherein only limited details can be accessed with respect to the licenses under www.parivahahn.nic.in under license search parameter authenticity of particular license can be verified and parameters like issuing authority, type validly can be ascertained only. 4. That in addition to above, licenses issued from 2006 to 2011 are available with respect to Srinagar on jaktrans.nic.in and with regard to other districts of the state for different periods. The process of uploading of manual record is in process which is meant for computerization of records. The jaktrans.ni.in is also under the control of National Information Centre. 5. That the Administrative Department vide its communication No. TR- 09/MVD?2015 dated 30.01.2015 has directed to upgrade Saarthi and Vahan version of Saarthi Vahan Version 4. This application shall be requiring high speed internet connectivity and this software will function in active mode online. The details viz. vehicle details and license details shall be available comprehensively. It is expected this software shall be launched in the month of May 2015. 6. That with respect to the action taken with regard to implementation of Section 4 of the J&K RTI Act, 2009, the undersigned has vide communication No. RTOK/MVD/PS/73-75 dated 13.04.2015 requested NIC to develop a link on jaktrans.nic so that anybody searching for licenses particularly is automatically directed to parivahaan.nic.in whereby he can access to information relating to licenses and registration.
During proceedings in the Commission RTO Kashmir submitted that on his request, NIC has uploaded details of licenses of all districts of the state on the website of jktrans.nic.in and same was shown to the Commission. While expressing satisfaction on action taken by RTO Kashmir with regard to uploading of details of licenses, the Commission noted that only details of PIOs/FAAs are available in the RTI link on the website of Transport Department. Other information contained in Section 4(1)(b) of Act are not available on the website jktrans.nic.in. RTO Kashmir submitted that the website of Transport Department is under the domain of Transport Department/Transport Commissioner. He is accordingly directed to take up the matter with Administrative Department/Transport Commission to upload all information as per Section 4(1)(b) of the Act on the website of the Department. Accordingly, the complaint filed before the Commission is disposed of. Copy to the: - Sd/- (Nazir Ahmed) State Information Commissioner 1. RTO Kashmir. 2. Chief Inspector (ARTO) Board of Inspection, Motor Vehicles Department, Srinagar. (M.S. Bhat) Deputy Registrar, State Information Commission