Haryana Government Criticized for Lack of Information Officers in Village Councils

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has strongly criticized the Haryana government for failing to appoint State Public Information Officers (SPIOs) in individual gram panchayats, or village councils, across the state. This criticism came during a hearing of a case where a villager was denied information about local development works.

Justice Mahabir Singh Sindhu, who heard the case, said that the lack of SPIOs in village councils is causing major problems for rural residents. He pointed out that this absence is not just an inconvenience, but is actually leading to unnecessary court cases and harassment of villagers.

The case that brought this issue to light was filed by Bhagwat Dayal, a resident of Haripur village in Faridabad district. In January 2019, Dayal had filed an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. He wanted to know about the money received and spent on development works in his village. However, he didn't get the information he asked for, which led him to take the matter to court.

Justice Sindhu said that this is not an isolated case. The court has seen many similar cases where villagers are trying to get information about funds received or used by their gram panchayats. Often, the villagers are not given this information for various reasons, which forces them to file court cases that could have been avoided.

The judge emphasized that this situation is unfair to rural residents. They should be able to easily get information about how public money is being used in their villages. Instead, they are facing unnecessary obstacles and having to go to court just to get basic information. 

To address this issue, the court has taken a strong step. It has added the Haryana government, specifically the Commissioner and Secretary of the Rural Development Department, as respondents in the case. This means the court has officially asked the government to respond to this problem.

The court's action highlights the importance of transparency in local governance. By pointing out the lack of SPIOs in gram panchayats, the High Court is pushing for better implementation of the Right to Information Act at the grassroots level. This could lead to more accountability in how village councils use public funds and make decisions that affect rural communities.