Searching for my Dad in the Haystack

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I have been paused; but not for long –

The 2 Notice Envelopes that I had sent to DAD have comeback with some scribbling in Punjabi. I am yet to catch hold of some one to read it and decipher it for me. I have to collect the envelopes from the advocate and see the physical status myself. In all probabilities, he may have opened them up or atleast one of them, read the contents and then returned it to the postman. You only need to know the neighborhood Delivery boy a little well and that’s not tough when you live in a small city.

After collecting the 1^st reply from RTI- NTC, that was sent on 3^rd December, 2009 and should have been ideally replied by 2^nd Jan, 2010; I had sent yet another RTI to request for the copy of his Service Book. Mr. Shambhu Prasad- the same man who had refused my dad’s whereabouts when I had personally visited NTC to contact my father; is the man who is preparing the RTI replies. He had the audacity to tell my friend that my dad was no more; when he had called up on my insistence just out of nowhere. I collected the reply on 19^th March, 2010; well after stipulated timeframe of such replies; very cleverly, they had mentioned the date as 2^nd Jan, 2010. I had deposited the 2^nd RTI the same day. 30 days had gone by and I had received no information. All that the RTI officer said, that Shambhu was off because his wife was serious. Nevermind, 3 weeks had passed and that’s when he mentioned that it may not be possible because of some 3^rd party clause. I politely read back the clause- “8(j)”-

Information that relates to personal information; the disclosure of which has not relationship to any public activity or interest, or which would cause unwarranted information of the privacy of the Indivial, unless the Central Public Information Officer or the State Public Information Officer or the appellate authority, as the case may be, is satisfied that the larger public interest justifies the disclosure of such information.

and the “Comments”-

If the requested Information or record, or part thereof which relates to or has been supplied by a third party and has been treated as confidential by that party, then the CPIO or SPIO, as the case may be shall within 5 days give written notice to such third party of the request and of the fact that he intend she intends to disclose the information or record, or part thereof, and invite third party to make submission in writing an orally, regarding whether the information should be disclosed and such submission of the third party shall be kept in view while taking a decision about disclosure of information.

He sounded somewhat surprised and assured me of that he would send a letter to him. And since as per their record they didn’t have his residential address, the letter would comeback without reply and he could use that as an advantage and release the information to me. Very well then, 2 weeks later, he sounded very apologetic and said that the information I have requested will have to be denied and that he was in the process of sending it back.

What prompted me to write the 2^nd RTI application was this-

Their reply said that the office- NTC didn’t have dad’s last residential address on record. This was something I couldn’t take blindly simply because that just doesn’t happen that way. NTC falling under Government of India; all employees are bound to follow certain instructions as dictums. Updating records with all or any changes is one of them. All the RTI reply had revealed, was his permanent address which DNE any more. But if that’s true that he hasn’t declared his 2^nd wife’s name and his address, he can again be sued under a different directive. And if it’s the office or Shambhu trying to play his straits; then he is anyways in for a surprise under conspiracy- 1^st the earlier stance when I visited him at the Vandana building office and now this. Just how dare?

Furthermore,

Their 2^nd reply was received only a couple of days back. In other words, they took 2 months to reply and without having followed the guidelines.

Outlawed

Their 1^st skip was the delayed reply to the 1^st RTI application and yet having mentioned a false date.
The 2^nd skip was not having known of the clauses of what I read to them.
Even after having informed them of the rulings, they chose not to act as per the defined guidelines. No notice or written document was sent to dad or else it would have been marked to me as a copy- atleast thats what the ruling states.
And they have made the biggest mistake of replying the 2^nd letter after 30 days of time.
The Appellate Authority when contacted over the phone simply disconnected after hearing to the brief information of the case.

They say a woman is her biggest enemy; I conclude that a man is his best accomplice.

As anyone can figure out about the wild goose chase that it is, and the magnitude with which it’s becoming denser in degrees; with each passing day and yet another obstruction, I am getting all the more determined and obstinate to drag him right in the manner that is most embarrassing for any MAN and FATHER.