Central Information Commission
Ajay Singh vs Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited ... on 4 November, 2025
के ीय सूचना आयोग
Central Information Commission
बाबा गंगनाथ माग, मुिनरका
Baba Gangnath Marg, Munirka
नई िद ी, New Delhi - 110067
File No: CIC/BHELD/A/2025/604370
Ajay Singh .....अपीलकता/Appellant
VERSUS
बनाम
PIO,
Bharat Heavy Electricals
Limited, Heavy Electrical
Equipment Plant, Ranipur,
Haridwar - 249403 .... ितवादीगण /Respondent
Date of Hearing : 03.11.2025
Date of Decision : 04.11.2025
INFORMATION COMMISSIONER : Vinod Kumar Tiwari
Relevant facts emerging from appeal:
RTI application filed on : 28.12.2023
CPIO replied on : 14.12.2024
First appeal filed on : 16.12.2024
First Appellate Authority's order : 18.01.2025
2nd Appeal/Complaint dated : 27.01.2025
Information sought:
1. The Appellant filed an RTI application dated 28.12.2023 (online) seeking the following information:
"1. Ownership of Land: Please provide information regarding the ownership of the land located between ET Hostel, BHEL, and Shri Ram Nagar Colony, Jwalapur, Haridwar. Satellite images and site photographs of the land are attached with this application for reference.
2. Authority Responsible for Cleanliness and Maintenance: Kindly inform which competent authority or organization is responsible for maintaining Page 1 of 6 cleanliness and sanitation on the aforementioned land. Please provide the contact details and official email ID of the concerned officer.
3.Date of Last Garbage Collection: Please provide details of when garbage was last collected from this site.
4. Frequency of Cleaning: Kindly inform how frequently cleaning of this site is conducted, i.e., the schedule or interval of cleaning activities.
5. Planned Usage of the Land: Please provide information on the future usage plans for this land."
2. The CPIO furnished a point-wise reply to the Appellant on 14.12.2024 stating as under:
"1. न म उ ले खत भू म (ET Hostel, BHEL और ी राम, नगर कॉलोनी, वालापुर, ह र वार के बीच ि#थत भू म) BHEL क% बाउं 'ी वॉल के अंद र ि#थत भू म BHEL के #वा म*व एवं अ,धकार म है ।
2. 0ब1द ु सं0-1 के अनुसार। शेष सूचना, सूचना अ,धकार अ,ध5नयम क% धारा 8 (1) (जी) के अ1तग8त दान नह9ं क% जा सकती है ।
3. वत8मान म नगत #थान से :दनांक: 02.12.2024 एवं 03.12.2024 को #थल से कूड़े क% सफाई का काय8 >कया गया है ।
4. नगत #थान BHEL क% सीमा पर ी राम नगर कॉलोनी, वालापरु , ह र वार के साथ लगा हुआ है , जहां पर #थानीय 5नवा सय@ वारा कूड़ा डाला जाता है।
BHEL वारा कूड़ा नह9ं डाला जाता है । BHEL क% कूड़ा बंधन क% अपनी Bयव#था है । अतः नगत #थान क% 5नय मत सफाई क% कोई Bयव#था नह9ं है । BHEL वारा नगत #थान पर कूड़ा डालने से रोकने के लए पूव8 म सूचना बोड8 एवं चेतावनी बोड8 भी लगाया गया है । #थानीय 5नवा सय@ वारा BHEL क% बाउं 'ी वॉल को तोड़कर नगत #थान पर कूड़ा डाला जाता है । इस संबंध म #थानीय पु लस को तहर9र भी द9 गई है ।
5. नगत भू म BHEL क% भावी Eव#तार9करण योजनाओं हे तु संरHIत रखी गई है ।"
Page 2 of 63. Being dissatisfied, the Appellant filed a First Appeal dated 16.12.2024. The FAA vide its order dated 18.01.2025, held as under:
" थम अपील9य ा,धकार9 वारा वां5छत सूचना, के. लो.सू.अ. वारा :दए गये उKर, अपील म उठाये गये तकM/मु द@ और के.लो. सू.अ. वारा द9 गयी जानकार9 एवं :टOपणी का अPययन >कया गया ।
वां5छत सूचना से सQबं,धत जानकार9 आपको के.लो. सू.अ. ने #वयं के Eववेकानुसार और सूचना के अ,धकार अ,ध5नयम क% भावना के तहत सूचना पRांक एच.डS य,ु सी.पी.आई.ओ. 240070 (BHELD/R/E/24/00405) :दनांक: 14/12/2024 वारा ेEषत कर द9 गयी है तथा शेष सूचना :टOपणी के Tप म इस पR के माPयम से दे द9 गई है ।
आपके वारा अपील म उठाये गये मु द@ के जवाब म के.लो. सू.अ. वारा द9 गयी जानकार9 एवं :टOपणी सूचना के अ,धकार अ,ध5नयम क% भावना के अनुTप हU अतः इस Eवषय म के.लो. सू.अ. पर कोई आदे श पा रत >कया जाना आव यक नह9ं हU।
पूरे मामले म Eव#तार से जांच व Eव भ1न जुड़े मु द@ को सQबो,धत करने के लये काफ% समय क% जTरत पड़ती है इस कारण उपरोVत Eवषय म Eव#तत ृ जांच के लये 30 :दन से अ,धक समय लग गया ।
अपील का एतद वारा तदनुसार 5नपटारा >कया जाता है।"
4. Feeling aggrieved and dissatisfied, Appellant approached the Commission with the instant Second Appeal.
5. Proof of having served a copy of Second Appeal on Respondent while filing the same in CIC is not available on record. Relevant Facts emerged during Hearing:
The following were present:-
Appellant: Present through VC.
Respondent: Shri Anand Prakash, CPIO-cum-DGM and Shri Sunil Kumar, Additional Engineer, attended the hearing through VC.
6. The Appellant stated that the Respondent has not provided the relevant information as sought in point No. 2 of the instant RTI Application.
Page 3 of 67. The Respondent submitted that a suitable reply based on available records has been given to the Appellant vide letter dated 14.12.2024. He further apprised the Bench that the averred land in question, situated between ET Hostel, BHEL Haridwar and Shri Ram Nagar Colony, Jwalapur, Haridwar, belongs to BHEL Haridwar. Being an open and vacant area, the nearby outsiders have been frequently found to be disposing of their waste, which is completely uncalled for and not authorized by BHEL. The said land does not fall under any regular cleaning or maintenance schedule(s) of BHEL Haridwar. Accordingly, it will not be appropriate to hold any authority or individual responsible, as there is no provision for regular cleaning of this area. However, as and when time and resources are available, cleaning works are carried out by BHEL Haridwar in the larger interest of maintaining general cleanliness in its vicinity.
8. The Commission interjected and asked the Respondent to explain the denial of information on point No. 2 of the RTI Application under Section 8 (1) (g) of the RTI Act, the Respondent failed to provide a cogent reply.
9. A written submission has been received from Shri Anand Prakash, CPIO, vide letter dated 23.10.2025, a copy of which has been marked to the Appellant and the same has been taken on record. The relevant extract of the same is as under:
"The Hon'ble Commission is respectfully informed that the reply on all points of the original RTI application was provided within the stipulated time frame. The land in question, situated between ET Hostel, BHEL Haridwar and Shri Ram Nagar Colony, Jwalapur, Haridwar, belongs to BHEL Haridwar. Being an open and vacant area, the nearby outsiders have been frequently found to be disposing of their wastes, which completely uncalled for and not authorized by BHEL. The said land does not fall under any regular cleaning or maintenance schedule(s) of BHEL Haridwar.
Accordingly, it will not be appropriate to hold any particular authority or individual responsible, as there is no provisions for regular cleaning of this area. However, as and when time and resources are available, cleaning works are carried out by BHEL Haridwar in the larger interest of maintaining general cleanliness in its vicinity.
With reference to the second appeal filed by the appellant, it is also submitted and believed that the information sought in the RTI application appears to be more in the nature of a grievance.
It is therefore humbly requested that the Hon'ble Commission may kindly treat the appeal as devoid of merit and dispose of the same accordingly."Page 4 of 6
Decision:
10. The Commission after adverting to the facts and circumstances of the case, hearing both the parties and perusal of the records, observes that appropriate information based on available records has been given to the Appellant qua the instant RTI Application except for point No. 2 of the RTI Application. The denial of information by the Respondent on point No. 2 of the RTI Application citing Section 8 (1) (g) of the RTI Act is not found convincing and appears to be legally flawed. The Respondent present during the hearing is unable to substantiate his arguments in favour of denial of information. The Commission admonishes the Respondent for providing RTI reply without application of mind and cautions the Respondent to remain careful in future while dealing with the matters related to the RTI Act.
11. Therefore, the Commission deems it fit to direct the CPIO to revisit point No. 2 of the RTI Application and furnish a revised reply by supplying the relevant information, to the Appellant, within three weeks of receipt of this order. If the Respondent requires assistance from any other office/officer for compliance with the above directions, the same shall be sought by invoking Section 5(4) of RTI Act.
12. The First Appellate Authority to ensure compliance of the directions.
The appeal is disposed of accordingly.
Vinod Kumar Tiwari (िवनोद कुमार ितवारी) Information Commissioner (सूचना आयु ) Authenticated true copy (अिभ मािणत स!ािपत ित) (S. Anantharaman) Dy. Registrar 011- 26181927 Date Page 5 of 6 Copy To:
The FAA, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Heavy Electrical Equipment Plant, Ranipur, Haridwar - 249403 Page 6 of 6 Recomendation(s) to PA under section 25(5) of the RTI Act, 2005:-
Nil Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)