State Information Commission, Punjab has declared two Gow Sewa Samitis of Ludhiana as “Public Authorities” and directed these societies to provide the required information to the appellant within 30 days.Disposing off two similar appeals in this regard filed by Mr. Dinesh Jethi of Sham Nagar, Ludhiana, the court of Mr. Yashvir Mahajan, State Information Commissioner ordered that as the societies in question are being substantially financed by a body of the government and squarely fits into the definition of Section 2(h)(d)(ii) of the Act thus we accordingly declare these as “Public Authorities” with the direction to the presidents of the societies to part with the information asked for within thirty days to the appellant and take simultaneous action as envisaged under Section 4 and 5 of the Act.
Disclosing this here, an official Spokesperson of the commission said that two cases have been filed in the commission with the contention that Gow Sewa Samiti, Partap Singh Wala, Hambran Road, Ludhiana and Gobind Godham, Partap Singh Wala, Ludhiana were getting regular grants from the Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana and as such they qualify to be designated as Public Authorities with resultant obligations under RTI Act.After reviewing the documents, the commission said that more than a crore of rupees each year perpetually from the public funds is being given to a society for the functions, which ware more in the nature of a public duty. The argument of the respondents that they ware only discharging a contractual obligation with the government by charging a fee of Rs.30/- per cattle was of no consequence when seen in larger aforesaid perspective. It is indisputable that the Society is charging more than a crore of rupees annually from the year 2010 onwards continuously for attending to more than 1000 heads of cattle from the Municipal Corporation.