Garage outside school: PIOs face penalty for not giving info

Two public information officers (PIO) have been slapped with a notice asking why they should not be penalised for not providing information on action taken on a motor garage that functioned outside a school premises and created problems for its students. The school, and an ex-student had complained about the illegal encroachment of the passage to the school but there was little action.

Nava Samaj Mandal, which runs a school, and several other educational activities from its campus on Dixit Cross Road No. 1, Vile Parle (east) had filed a complaint of a motor garage that encroached the passage to the school.

Along with it, it had also given signatures of the student. The complaint was filed with the municipal commissioner’s office after the garage owner did not stop parking vehicles and repairing despite assuring about the same.

“They had filed a complaint and not enough action was taken. With spare parts, and oil on the road, access had become slippery and students had to navigate their way. When I went to the school, they informed me that road becomes slippery and dirty because of the spilled oil. I decided to file another complaint and follow up the action through an RTI application to know the action taken,” said Chetan Kothari, a former student of the school.

Chetan in his application had sought details of action taken report, copy of notice issued and action taken on motor garage owner, details where the complaints were sent to take action, and officer who conducted the enquiry.