CIC directs Southern Railway to disclose details of 83,000 trees planted in Madurai Division

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Madurai Division of Southern Railway to disclose details of trees planted over a six-year period, including the species, locations and expenditure incurred.

The direction came on a petition filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, by Arun Pandi, who sought details of about 83,000 trees planted across the Madurai Division between April 2019 and July 2024. He requested information on the exact locations where the saplings were planted, the species of trees, the expenditure incurred, and the source of procurement, along with copies of purchase bills.

‘Information not available’ 

In response, the Chief Public Information Officer (CPIO) stated that the information sought was not available at the divisional office. While some details were available with field offices, compiling them would not only be time-consuming but disproportionately divert the resources of the public authority, he said.

Dissatisfied with the response of the CPIO and the order of the First Appellate Authority, Mr. Pandi approached the Central Information Commission. During the hearing, the CPIO reiterated that the information sought was voluminous and not maintained in a compiled form.

‘Reply vague and generic’

After hearing both sides, Information Commissioner Swagat Das observed that the CPIO’s reply was vague and generic. The officer had merely stated that the information was unavailable at the divisional office and that compiling records from various field units would disproportionately divert the authority’s resources, without providing any specific justification regarding the availability or non-availability of each item of information sought by the appellant.

The Commissioner noted that the information sought ought to exist in one form or another, with the concerned offices maintaining plantation and expenditure records. “A blanket denial stating that the information is not available with the office, without examining the records held by the concerned field units, is not in consonance with the provisions of the RTI Act,” he observed.

The Commission directed the CPIO to revisit the RTI application, conduct a diligent search of records available with the concerned offices and field units, and furnish all available information to the petitioner.