How to File RTI with ITDC for Hotel Tariff Rates, Tender Awards, Employee Service Records, and Joint Venture Agreements — Ashok Group Properties and Ashok Travels & Tours

The India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) is a Central Government public sector undertaking incorporated under the Companies Act and functioning under the administrative control of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. ITDC was established in 1966 with a mandate to develop and operate tourist infrastructure across the country. Today, its portfolio spans the iconic Ashok Group of hotels — most prominently The Ashok hotel in New Delhi — Ashok Travels & Tours (the government's travel agency arm), a chain of Duty Free shops at major airports, and several joint ventures with state tourism development corporations for heritage and resort properties.

Because ITDC is wholly owned and substantially financed by the Central Government and manages assets that were built with public funds, it is unambiguously a public authority within the meaning of Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005. Citizens, tourist operators, journalists, employees, and civil society groups can use the Right to Information Act to obtain hotel tariff data, procurement records, staff service information, and the terms of joint venture partnerships that ITDC has entered into with state governments. This guide explains what information you can seek, how to file your RTI application correctly, and how to escalate if the response is inadequate.

Hotel Tariff Rates and Room Allotment Criteria at Ashok Group Properties

ITDC's Ashok Group hotels — including The Ashok in New Delhi, Lalitha Mahal Palace in Mysuru, Nilachal Ashok in Bhubaneswar, and Pondicherry Ashok, among others — are regularly used to accommodate government delegations, foreign dignitaries, and tourists. Because these properties are government-owned, their tariff schedules and room allotment policies are not purely commercial matters: they are administrative decisions made with public assets and must be open to public scrutiny.

RTI allows you to ask for:

• The current approved room tariff schedule for all categories at a specific Ashok Group property, including applicable taxes and any differential rates for government versus commercial guests
• The criteria and procedure for allotting rooms to Central Government officials, delegations, and protocol guests at concessional or nominated rates, including any standing order or circular governing such allotments
• The total room-nights sold during a given financial year, broken down by guest category — government/protocol, commercial, and foreign tourist — to understand how much of ITDC's hotel capacity is serving paying commercial guests versus being allocated at subsidised government rates
• The names of Central Government Ministries, Departments, or PSUs that have entered into rate contracts or empanelment agreements with ITDC for accommodation at Ashok Group properties, and the agreed per-room rates under those contracts
• Quarterly occupancy rates at specific properties, which can reveal whether ITDC's hotels are financially viable or are being cross-subsidised by the public exchequer

This information is particularly relevant to independent travel agents and tour operators who compete with ITDC or book accommodation at Ashok Group hotels, and to taxpayers seeking to understand the financial performance of government-owned hospitality assets.

Tender Award Records for Renovation and Catering Contracts

ITDC regularly undertakes renovation and refurbishment of its hotel properties and procures food, beverage, and catering services through contractors. Given that these are public procurement exercises funded from ITDC's revenues — which ultimately derive from government assets — the names of contractors, the tender process followed, and the contract values are matters of legitimate public interest.

You can ask for:

• Names of contractors awarded renovation or refurbishment contracts at specific ITDC properties, the contract number, date of award, and contract value — and whether the contract was awarded through open competitive tender, limited tender, or single-source procurement
• Number of bids received and names of evaluated bidders to verify competitive procurement
• Whether any contract was revised after initial award by way of scope addition, cost variation, or time extension, and the reasons and quantum of each revision
• Names and contract values of food and beverage or catering service contractors currently operating at any ITDC property, and whether these contracts were awarded transparently
• Whether any contractor has been blacklisted or debarred by ITDC, the reasons, and the period of debarment

Tender award records and contractor names are public procurement information — they cannot be withheld on grounds of commercial confidentiality. ITDC publishes tender notices on its website and the Central Public Procurement Portal (eprocure.gov.in), making this information already in the public domain. If an RTI response reveals a discrepancy between the publicly advertised tender and the actual award, or shows repeated single-source procurement without adequate justification, that information can be referred to the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) or the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

Employee Service Matters and Seniority Records

ITDC employs several thousand personnel across its hotels, travel services, duty-free operations, and headquarters — all of whom are entitled to transparent service conditions governed by ITDC's service rules. Employees have frequently used the RTI Act to obtain seniority lists, Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) records, and promotion orders, particularly where they believe that promotions have been delayed, overlooked, or conducted with procedural irregularities.

You can ask for:

• The sanctioned strength and actual strength of employees in specific grades, broken down by establishment, as on a particular date
• The seniority list for a specific grade or post, which is the foundation for establishing whether promotions are being made in order of seniority as required by service rules
• The composition of the DPC for a particular cadre, the date of the meeting, the names of officers considered alongside you, and the criteria or benchmark grading applied
• Copies of promotion orders issued within a defined period for a specific grade, to verify the basis on which promotions were made
• Whether any cadre is stagnant — i.e., whether no promotions have been made for several years — and the official reasons for stagnation

Seniority lists and DPC records are not exempt from disclosure under any provision of the RTI Act. If an RTI response confirms that your seniority was incorrectly recorded or that DPC procedures were not followed, the information can be used to support a representation to ITDC management, a complaint to the Ministry of Tourism's vigilance unit, or a petition before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) for relief.

Joint Venture Agreement Terms with State Tourism Boards

ITDC has formed joint venture companies with several state tourism development corporations to develop and manage heritage hotels, wildlife resorts, and other tourism properties — particularly under the "Ashok" brand. These joint ventures involve contribution of Central Government assets (such as buildings, land, or infrastructure), and the terms of the partnership — equity holding, profit-sharing, land use, and exit clauses — are matters that have a direct bearing on how public assets are deployed.

You can ask for:

• Names of all joint ventures in which ITDC currently holds a stake, along with the co-partner, equity percentages, and date of incorporation
• Copies of the Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) itself, including shareholding structure, profit-sharing arrangement, land or infrastructure contribution terms, and the duration and renewal provisions of the agreement
• Whether any joint venture has been wound up, dissolved, or placed under liquidation, and the reasons and timeline for dissolution
• The latest audited financial statements (balance sheet and P&L account) of each joint venture in which ITDC has a stake, to assess financial health and returns to the Central Government
• Whether ITDC has any outstanding dues from joint venture partners, and what recovery action has been taken

ITDC cannot broadly refuse to disclose joint venture agreements on grounds of commercial confidentiality, because the co-partners are typically State Tourism Development Corporations — themselves public authorities — and because the agreements were entered into using public assets. If ITDC withholds agreement terms on vague grounds, this should be challenged in the First Appeal and Second Appeal, citing the principle that publicly-funded contracts must be open to scrutiny.

How to File Your RTI Application

File your RTI online at rtionline.gov.in. On the portal:

1. Register or log in with your mobile number or email address
2. Select Ministry: Ministry of Tourism
3. Select Public Authority: choose India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC)
4. Write your application in the text box or attach a PDF if the application is detailed
5. Pay the fee of ₹10 online (net banking, debit card, UPI)
6. Save the registration number to track your application and use it in any appeal

BPL cardholders are exempt from the application fee — attach a self-attested copy of the BPL card with your application.

Alternative — postal or in-person filing: You may also send a written application by post to the CPIO at the address above, enclosing a demand draft or postal order of ₹10 drawn in favour of "India Tourism Development Corporation". Retain a copy of the application and the postal receipt as proof of submission.

Tip: If your request covers information about a specific ITDC hotel or unit located outside Delhi, the CPIO at ITDC headquarters can transfer your application under Section 6(3) of the RTI Act to the unit holding the relevant records within five days. You do not need to identify the correct CPIO in advance — file with the headquarters CPIO and the transfer obligation rests with ITDC.

Appeals

First Appeal — Section 19(1)

If the CPIO does not respond within 30 days of receipt of your application, or if the response is incomplete, incorrect, or unsatisfactory, file a First Appeal with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) at ITDC. The First Appeal must be filed within 30 days of the date of decision or the expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable.

Where the information requested concerns the life or liberty of a person, the CPIO is required to furnish information within 48 hours under the proviso to Section 7(1) of the RTI Act, 2005. Failure to respond within 48 hours in such cases is itself grounds for an immediate First Appeal.

Second Appeal — Section 19(3)

If the FAA's response is absent or unsatisfactory, file a Second Appeal with the Central Information Commission (CIC) under Section 19(3) within 90 days. ITDC is a Central Government body — all second appeals go to the CIC, not any State Information Commission. The CIC has authority under Section 20 to impose a penalty of ₹250 per day (up to ₹25,000) on the CPIO for unjustified denial or delay in furnishing information.