Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh-
In a decisive move to strengthen accountability under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the Haryana Government has directed all departments to ensure the immediate recovery of pending penalties imposed by the State Information Commission.
In a letter issued by Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi to all Administrative Secretaries, Heads of Departments, Chief Administrators and Managing Directors of Boards and Corporations, Divisional Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners, clear instructions have been given to implement the recovery process in a time-bound manner.
The total outstanding penalty amount stands at ₹2,94,87,657, which is to be recovered from defaulting State Public Information Officers (SPIOs) across various departments.
To ensure smooth compliance, the government has approved a structured monthly installment mechanism instead of lump-sum recovery. As per the approved schedule, recovery will be affected by the Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) from the salaries or pensions of the concerned officers. Class-A officers will contribute ₹10,000 per month (₹5,000 in case of retired officers), Class-B officers ₹7,000 per month (₹3,500 if retired), and Class-C officers ₹4,000 per month (₹2,000 if retired) until the entire outstanding amount is recovered.
The government has clarified that in cases where the concerned SPIO has expired, the penalty shall be waived. For serving Sarpanches, recovery will be made at ₹3,000 per month from their honorarium. Cases involving Ex-Sarpanches will be referred to the respective Deputy Commissioners for action under applicable revenue laws.
Administrative Secretaries have been asked to personally monitor compliance and submit periodic status reports to the State Information Commission, underscoring the government’s commitment to transparency and institutional discipline.