Delayed CIC decision on IFFCO results in large-scale misappropriation of assets

01 March, 2013

It refers to the long-pending petitions before a full-bench of Central Information Commission (CIC) for deciding Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-operative Limited (IFFCO) to be a public authority under RTI Act.

Hearing in the matter was complete but the decision kept pending for long. District Magistrate of Delhi South-West has now detected transfer of IFFCO property worth hundreds of crores in name of its Managing Director on 30.01.2013 - just two days before Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) issued a circular making it clear that Central Vigilance Commission Act 2003 has jurisdiction over Multi-State Co-operative Societies such as IFFCO, KRIBHCO, and NAFED.

Multi-thousand crores of rupees are annually being given as subsidy to IFFCO notorious for dubious transfer of IFFCO property in name of individual.

Timely CIC decision in the IFFCO matter could prevent such criminal transfer of IFFCO property in name of individual because probability of such scandalous transfer of same property was also raised during the hearing.

Delayed CIC decisions in such important matters kill the very purpose of transparency act. Liberal ex-party stay orders by courts on CIC decisions like long-pending in matter of KRIBHCO further hurt transparency Act. Union government should enlarge scope of section 2(h) of RTI Act by including Multi-State Co-operative Societies and all those getting land/property from government at concessional rates/lease etc., as public-authority under RTI Act.

Meanwhile, all concerned ones including beneficiary of transferred IFFCO property should be immediately arrested with exemplary strict-most action initiated against them. IFFCO should be taken over by Union government.