IPOs safe, legitimate mode of RTI fees: Activists

Kashmir Times, 12/Aug/2012

JAMMU, Aug 11: Clearing the air over the confusion that Indian Postal Orders, IPOs

are not safe mode of payment as fees under Jammu and Kashmir Right to Information

 Act 2009, the RTI activists and legal experts have made it clear that like Demand

Drafts and Banker's Cheque the RTI fees paid through Indian Postal orders is absolutely

legitimate, safe and must be accepted as the J & K RTI Act, Rules are very much clear in

 this regard.  Citing rule 4 of the Jammu and Kashmir RTI Rules 2010, RTI Activist and

advocate Vilakshan Singh informed that the government rules gives option to the RTI

 applicant to choose his mode of payment and that right must be honoured. He also

commented on the notion that the RTI fees paid through IPO goes to union government's

kitty is wrong.  Whereas Balwinder Singh, RTI activist and Convener Sangarsh RTI Movement

said that the Public Authority should realize the fees received under J & K RTI Act 2009

if it is paid through Cheque, Demand Draft or IPO and the perception that the IPO fees

 goes union government is far  away from truth. Aseem Sawhney, another noted RTI activist,

also objected to the demand  of scrapping the option of Indian Postal order. He said the

IPO's are the easiest and safest safe mode of payment for RTI users. Activist/Advocate

Dewaker Sharma too shared the same opinion and said there is no need to scrap IPO as

mode of fees because in far  flung areas, the IPO's are most feasible mode of payment

because of the availability of Post Offices in every nook and corner of the state.

 RTI Activist Raman Sharma and  Deepak Sharma also stressed for continuation 

of IPO as RTI fees option.  http://www.kashmirtimes.com/newsdet.aspx?q=3191 also published in JKNEWSPOINT, The Tribune and other papers on same date.