CIC to decide who will be responsible for baggage loss

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has decided to deliberate on the issue of who is to be held responsible in case of loss of baggage at the airport.
 

A Right to Information (RTI) query filed by a harried passenger after his son lost his baggage at the Delhi airport was transferred from one department to another, prompting the CIC to invite submission from all concerned, including the Civil Aviation Ministry, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Bureau of Civil Aviation and the Airport Authority of India (AAI), to settle the matter.

“The commission feels that the matter needs further deliberation on the issue as to who is responsible/answerable to a citizen, whose belongings (hand baggage in the case) are lost in the airport, and who is the officer/office concerned, to whom a citizen can approach in such a situation. Needless to say that this matter has a bearing on larger public interest as well,” Information Commissioner Sushma Singh said.

Rakesh Sharma, a resident of Kapurthala, filed an application under the RTI Act with the AAI seeking details with regard to loss of his son’s hand baggage at the IGI Airport here.

The IGI Airport is being managed by the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) as per the Operation, Management and Development Agreement (OMDA) between the AAI and the DIAL. The Chief Public Information Officer replied saying that some of the queries were directed to the DIAL. 

Sharma, on being dissatisfied with the response, approached the appellate authority which directed the DIAL to provide “specific and unambiguous information/document”, holding it to be the custodian of information. He could not get the desired information except some letters from the DGM (Law) and General Manager (Security). 

Sharma took the matter to the CIC where the Civil Aviation Ministry, the CISF, Bureau of Civil Aviation and the AAI maintained that the day-to-day operation and functioning of the airport was being done by the DIAL and AAI had no supervisory role over them.

They, accordingly, expressed their inability to secure any information from the DIAL.In view of the varying stands, the commission decided to hold the hearing on July 9 and asked all concerned departments to put forth their views on the subject.