No information on 'time capsule' buried during Indira Gandhi's tenure: PMO

NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister's Office has claimed it has no records on former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's much-publicised project -- the time capsule, which carried various information and is said to have been buried in the Red Fort during Emergency.

Academician-writer Madhu Purnima Kishwar had sought the information about the 'time capsule' which was denied as the PMO claimed it has no records on the matter.

When the matter came before the Central Information Commission, Kishwar claimed that PMO was fully involved in the entire project of preparing and burying the 'time capsule'.

She also claimed several other ministries have also failed to find any record related to the much-hyped project.

Expressing surprise over PMO's reply in the matter, Chief Information Commissioner Satyananda Mishra said, "It is very strange that there should be no information about this in the PMO or elsewhere in the government. During those days, the newspapers had very widely publicised this fact.

"It had been reported that the Time Capsule had been conceptualised by the then PMO and it had been buried in the Red Fort. If any of this report is right, then not only the PMO but also the Archaeological Survey of India should have some information in the matter," he said.

Mishra directed the PMO to make a renewed search for any available records on the subject and if necessary, they can take up the matter with the National Archives and the ASI to know if they have any such records.

"Even if this exercise takes some time, it would be worthwhile. Complete denial of any knowledge about the Time Capsule by all public authorities within the government including the PMO would be very hard for the public to accept," he said, asking the PMO to complete the exercise in 25 days and provide information to Kishwar.