Main Application Process
In every state government office officers have been designated as Public Information Officers (PIOs). The PIO acts as the nodal officer for the implementation of Right to Information in that Department. He is supposed to receive applications from the people, collect information from that Department and then provide that information to the applicant. In some Departments, which are very huge, a number of officers have been designated as PIOs. (For example each and every SHO (Thanedar) of the State Police has been designated as the PIO for the Police Department, answerable for his area of control/ operation).
Any person desirous of obtaining information should apply on a plain paper to the concerned PIO (Click here to know the PIO details). You should deposit Rs 10 application fee. This could be deposited either in cash, (if the application is being hand delivered), for which a receipt will be provided; or paid through DD / Indian postal order
/ Rs. 10 Non – judicial stamp paper. If the fee payment mode is a non – judicial stamp paper, then the application can be written / typed on the stamp paper itself.
Please note that it is very important the way you draft your questions. The information that you ask for should be very precise. If you ask vague questions, you will get vague answers. The trick is that you try to put yourself into the shoes of the PIO and ask yourself how would you have dodged the questions if you were the PIO and did not wish to provide information. This way, please try and sharpen your question as much as you can. Also, do not ask too many questions in one application. Though there is no bar on the number of questions that can be asked, however, it gives them an excuse that you have asked too many questions and are frivolous. So, if you wish to ask too much information, please break it up in several applications.
Filing an appeal
Filing an Appeal?
The PIO has 30 days to answer your query / send you the information. If you don't receive the info during this period, send an appeal (First Appeal) to the Appellate Authority (click here for details of Appellate Authority) enclosing self attested copies of the request sent to the PIO. No fee is to be paid. The Appellate Authority also has 30 days time to decide upon your appeal and give decision.
If you are not satisfied with the decision of your appeal, you can then file a second appeal with the Uttarakhand Information Commission. The second appeal has to be in triplicate with self attested copies of all correspondences with the PIO and the Appellate Authority. No fee has to be paid. The Commission will then hear and decide upon your case.
