TAMIL NADU INFORMATION COMMISSION Kamadhenu Co-operative Super Market Building First Floor, New No.378, Anna Salai, Teynampet, Chennai – 600018. Phone: 2431 2841 Case No.25667/Enquiry/2009 Date of Enquiry: 16th February 2010 at CHENNAI Present: Thiru G. RAMAKRISHNAN, I.A.S.,(Retd.), State Information Commissioner.

Petitioner: Thiru A. Appanu, No.11, Lawyer Jaganathan Street, Guindy, Chennai – 600 032.

Public Authority: The Public Information Officer / Fire and Rescue Services Department, South Chennai Division, Ashok Nagar, Chennai – 600 083. ------The petitioner was absent and the public authority was represented

by Tmt. Priya Ravichandran, District Fire Officer, Fire and Rescue Services

Department, South Chennai Division, Chennai. As the post of Public Information

Officer is vacant, the District Fire Officer being the Appellate Authority, appeared

before the Commission.

The petitioner has come on appeal to the Commission in his appeal petition dated nil received in the Commission on 13-10-2009. He has stated in his petition that the fire report has not been supplied by the public authority in spite of several attempts. The public authority has sent a reply on 14-5-2009, in reply to the petition dated 30-4-2009. Thereafter, on 23-9-2009, the public authority has informed the petitioner that the fire report will be given to the petitioner after getting no-objection from the owner of the building. The public authority informed the Commission that normally fire reports are not given to public under the provisions of departmental manual. He was informed that the Right to Information Act has an over-riding effect under Section 22 of the Act on all the existing laws and therefore the information has to be supplied. Now that the time-limit has been exceeded, the information has to be supplied free of cost under Section 7(6) of the Act. The

District Fire Officer, Chennai, may ensure that the information is supplied in a week’s time and a compliance report sent to the Commission.

STATE INFORMATION COMMISSION Orders approved on 8th March 2010 Under orders of the Commission

(S. MOHANA DHAS) ASSISTANT REGISTRAR Case No.25667/Enquiry/2009 The Public Information Officer / Fire and Rescue Services Department, South Chennai Division, Ashok Nagar, Chennai – 600 083.

Case No.25667/Enquiry/2009 Thiru A. Appanu, No.11, Lawyer Jaganathan Street, Guindy, Chennai – 600 032.