India Right To Information

Crores of celeb MP funds lie unutilised

2011-02-13T01:34:00.001-08:00

RTI reply reveals Mumbai Collector's office did not distribute unused funds of several state celebrity MPs, amounting to more than Rs 10 crore, to their successors; the MPs include Lata Mangeshkar, Shabana Azmi The Mumbai Collector's office failed to transfer unused MPLADS funds of several celebrity Rajya Sabha MPs in the state to the tune of Rs 10.05 crore to their successors, an RTI reply has revealed. While Shabana Azmi left Rs 66.42 lakh unused at the end of her term, Mangeshkar left Rs 1.39 crore Rs 88.93 lakh received by the Collector's office as compensation from embassies of countries where Indian nationals died in circumstances liable for compensation were also not disbursed to the families of the deceased.

PMC at your service, tea worth Rs 6.5 lakh a year

2011-02-13T01:33:00.000-08:00

You cannot fault elected representatives of the city for not serving citizens well, even if it’s only tea. An RTI query by Newsline on PMC expenses reveals the total expenditure on tea by officebearers is Rs 6.5 lakh a year. Replying to the query, the PMC disclosed that the expenses on tea by the officebearers was Rs 6,52,912 in the 2009-10 fiscal. In the current fiscal, the expense from April 1 to December 31, 2010 has been Rs 4,13,094. Admitting the figures are fairly high, Mayor Mohansingh Rajpal said, “I am not aware of actual expenses on tea made by officebearers. I will look into it.”

Unethical drug trials caused death of 10 gas victims

2011-02-13T01:31:00.000-08:00

An RTI query has revealed that at least 10 people have died at the Bhopal Memorial Hospital - meant for the treatment of 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy victims - due to unethical drug trials, several rights groups claimed Thursday. Five organisations - Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha, Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pension Bhogi Sangharsh Morcha, Children Against Dow Carbide and Bhopal Group for Information
and Action - Thursday levelled serious charges against two senior consultants at the hospital by showing information obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) application.

NGO unearths wheat scam in Meghalaya

2011-02-13T01:30:00.000-08:00

A social organisation in Meghalaya has unearthed that wheat worth crores of rupees under the Targeted Public Distribution System has been allegedly diverted for the past several years. Under a Right To Information application the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has given information that the State has been receiving wheat from 2008. Every month the State receives its quota of 1,403
metric tonnes of wheat, but none of the fair price shops are distributing it. A kilogram of wheat costs Rs 6.10. “Where is this wheat going when the FCI has been supplying it to the State under TPDS,” Michael Syiem, who filed the RTI, said at a public hearing today.

'Property details not exempt under RTI’: CIC

2011-02-13T01:28:00.000-08:00

Overruling former chief information commission A N Tiwari’s ruling on disclosure of property details, information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi has said that the information is not exempt under the RTI Act. In an order allowing for property details to be made public, Gandhi said, ‘‘With due respect to the observations of information commissioner A N Tiwari, this Commission noted that in the Surendra Sharma case, the disclosure of property returns of an employee of the respondent company was exempted merely on the basis that the information was confidential and given on the assurance that the confidentiality would not be breached.’’

Nathu wins after 10 yrs

2011-02-13T01:25:00.000-08:00

RTI comes to the rescue of farmer whose relative's 74-acre land was grabbed by three city-based businessmen Nitin Brahme. A farmer from Maval succeeded in retrieving 74 acres of land belonging to his son-in-law's family after it was grabbed by three city-based businessmen, who colluded with government officials to change the land title. After nearly a decade of struggle Nathu Gaikwad, 51, a resident of Kambre Maval, finally managed to expose the shady dealings of revenue officials in Maval, notorious for land-grabs, by making use of the Right To Information (RTI) Act.

Minutes of JEE committee can't be disclosed: CIC

2011-02-13T01:22:00.000-08:00

The minutes of meetings for the preparations of IIT Joint Entrance Examination cannot be provided under the Right to Information Act as their disclosure could result in ''breakdown'' of the examination system, the Central Information Commission has held. The transparency panel while hearing the plea of an RTI applicant who sought, besides other details, a copy of the minutes of the JEE committee meetings of 2010 agreed with the argument of IIT-Mumbai that it contained crucial details about 2011 examinations which are yet to be held.

Goa State breached SC rules on phone tapping ?

2011-02-13T01:20:00.000-08:00

At a time when the issue of telephone tapping is occupying centre-stage at the national level, it has come to light that the Goa Government has been tapping telephones in the State, allegedly in violation of Supreme Court directions and the Indian Telegraph Rules, until very recently. Information obtained by RTI activist Savio Correia from the State Home Department suggests that telephone tapping was done in breach of the procedure established by law, and a `Review Committee' was constituted only in September last year. The authorities have stubbornly refused to disclose any information about interception of telephone conversations, leading Correia to approach the State Information Commission for relief.

Kashmir gets CVC clearance for information commissioner

2011-02-13T01:18:00.000-08:00

The Jammu and Kashmir government has received the clearance from the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) for the appointment of an income tax officer as the state's first chief information commissioner (CIC), an official said on Sunday. A panel headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had recommended G.R. Sufi's name for appointment as the CIC on Jan 27, but Governor N.N. Vohra had sent back the file saying that the CVC clearance be attached with it. "Subsequently, the CVC's clearance was sought and it has been received," an official said. "The file would be sent back to the governor," he added.

Service book of govt servant not personal: CIC

2011-02-13T01:16:00.000-08:00

In a major decision that could spark privacy versus transparency debate, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has said the service details of a public servant are not confidential and can be provided to an RTI applicant. The country's top watchdog had earlier taken out property details and income tax returns of public servants from the ambit of confidentiality which has been
challenged in the Delhi High Court. The CIC's decision came while hearing the plea of an RTI applicant who had sought from the Railways the service book details of the Chief Law Assistant.
The applicant also sought to know if the post of Chief Law Assistant at the Chittaranjan Loco works was a tenure post.

Rs 38 lakh for rehabilitation of child labourers lying unspent

2011-02-13T01:14:00.001-08:00

A sum of R38 lakh is the amount lying unspent with the Delhi Child Labour Rehabilitation cum Welfare Society, which takes care of rehabilitation of rescued child labourers annually, a query under RTI has revealed. The society received a total of Rs 4.27 crore during the last five years comprising Rs 2.5 crore — just one time in 2008-09 — from the Delhi government and rest from the
Centre, the RTI reply further informed. "The pending amount — R38 lakh as on October 2010 — can be used for rehabilitation of many more children," said Prinyanka Sinha from NGO Pratidhi, who had sought the information under the Right to Information (RTI).

TN: Notebooks for SC/ST pupils only on paper

2011-02-13T01:13:00.001-08:00

While the Tamil Nadu government has earmarked `20 crore for distribution of free notebooks to students belonging to the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, at least 13 schools in five districts have not received the notebooks, which gives rise to the big question: Where has the money gone? Headmasters of the schools, in their reply to RTI queries filed by S Karuppaiah of the Dalit Liberation Movement, have categorically said that they had not received any notebooks
although P Sivasankaran, Commissioner of Adi Dravidar Welfare, has claimed that the scheme to provide free notebooks to students up to class 10 was on.

`Probe into vehicle sales tax scam'

2011-02-13T01:12:00.000-08:00

Following allegations of a scam by the Shiv Sena, the Sales Tax department on Friday said it has ordered an internal enquiry into the `mistake' of levying less sales tax on vehicles. Earlier, Desai met chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and requested a CBI enquiry into the scam. Shiv Sena leader Subhash Desai, on Friday, alleged that the state had lost revenue of Rs15,000 crore as a bogus notification was uploaded on the government's website, which stated that the sales tax charged on motor vehicles with engine capacity of 950 cc and higher was 2% as opposed to 12.5%. The incorrect levy of tax took place from 2005 to 2010, causing loss of revenue to the state, alleged Desai.

Case against Shiv Sena corporator for misuse of funds

2011-02-13T01:08:00.000-08:00

The Ghatkopar police registered a case against a Shiv Sena corporator and 9 others for allegedly misusing BMC's Slum Rehabilitation Program (SRP) for personal benefits for a decade. Shubhangi Shirke, her husband and daughter, as well as 7 others were booked under various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) for cheating, forgery, extortion and criminal breach of trust on Wednesday after
an order from the Vikroli Metropolitan Magistrate court. An initiative taken by a Right to Information (RTI) activist Vilas Chavan revealed how Shirke had been allegedly pocketing most of the funds being allotted under SRP to her NGO Shubhagi Mahila Udyogic Utpadak Sahkari Sanstha. "The SRP contract was given in name of her daughter on June 1, 2000 to her NGO on the recommendation of Shirke, herself,' said Advocate Satyam Dubey, who represented Chavan in the Vikroli court.

Vivekanand trust received huge sums from Tibetians

2011-02-13T01:05:00.000-08:00

Information sought under Right To Information Act regarding donations made to Swami Vivekanand Trust in Palampur, floated by veteran BJP leader Shanta Kumar, has added another dimension to the ongoing controversy regarding funds available to Tibetan institutions and individuals residing in India. The information was sought by RTI Bureau, Mandi, in 2009 regarding the income and expenditure details of the said Trust. The information had revealed that the Trust had received substantive donations from Tibetans from 2002 to 2004, including from His Holiness The Dalai Lama.

Plot alloted to non-applicant

2011-02-13T01:03:00.000-08:00

In a glaring blunder, Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) has allotted a 150-square yard plot in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar to a person who had refunded the application fee for the plot seven years ago. To cover up the issue, the allottee Balwant Singh was charged an interest on the application fee which only amounted to Rs 1,200. Moreover, not a single employee has been punished for this blunder. This has come to light from an audit report of LIT, obtained through a RTI application.

Delhi water bodies go under, almost

2011-02-13T01:02:00.000-08:00

In a blow to conservation efforts, of the 629 water bodies identified by government agencies, as many as 232 cannot be revived for various reasons. A reply by Delhi's Urban Development department to a query by Vinod Jain under the Right to Information (RTI) Act provided a break-up of the status of 629 water bodies, along with one that was later added to the list under the Irrigation and Flood Control department (I&FC). A majority of the 175 that cannot be revived come under the Delhi government's I&FC department, apart from 16 others, where legal disputes have prevented any work to be taken up. Further, it mentions that 37 water bodies under Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and four under Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) cannot be revived for various reasons.

HC allows animal welfare organization to seek info under RTI

2011-02-13T01:00:00.001-08:00

In a step that is likely to expand the ambit of RTI usage, the Delhi high court on Wednesday permitted an animal welfare organization based in the capital to seek information under the RTI Act on welfare of two elephants scheduled to be sent to Germany in an exchange programme in return for two cheetahs. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjiv Khanna said the organization - Animal and Birds Charitable Trust - had the right to access periodical reports from Germany about the health conditions of the two pachyderms from the "Centre, Central Zoo Authority and the Animal Welfare Board under the RTI Act."

Judicial commission's scope diluted to a great extent

2011-02-13T00:59:00.001-08:00

A day after the first information report (FIR) lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was made public by leading Right To Information ( RTI) activists, it appears that the scope of the judicial commission set up by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan to probe into the multi-crore Adarsh housing society scam, has been diluted to a great extent. "The commission, set up under the
Commission of Inquiry Act, has lost its significance, since key issues referred to the commission have been adequately dealt with by the CBI,'' a senior bureaucrat said.

Man with disability uses RTI to expose bogus voter lists

2011-02-13T00:58:00.000-08:00

Around 35 residents of Rangpar village in Wankaner taluka had moved to Rajkot some 20 years ago. But if the voters' list is to be believed, they still reside in the village. The error was brought to the notice of the state election commission authorities by Ratna Ala, 30, who is visually challenged. He filed an RTI application inquiring why names of people who have left the village are not removed from the voters' list. Ala's RTI queries forced the authorities to remove the names of the people.

HC allows animal welfare organization to seek info under RTI

2011-02-02T19:43:00.001-08:00

Judicial commission's scope diluted to a great extent

2011-02-02T19:42:00.001-08:00

A day after the first information report (FIR) lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was made public by leading Right To Information (RTI) activists, it appears that the scope of the judicial commission set up by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan to probe into the multi-crore Adarsh housing society scam, has been diluted to a great extent. "The commission, set up under the
Commission of Inquiry Act, has lost its significance, since key issues referred to the commission have been adequately dealt with by the CBI,'' a senior bureaucrat said.

Police recruits get RTI lessons

2011-02-02T19:41:00.000-08:00

Former top Income Tax officer G RSofi was today appointed as the first Chief Information Commissioner of Jammu and Kashmir, six years after the state enacted the landmark RTI. The name of Sofi was decided after a meeting of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, leader of Opposition Mehbooba Muftiand Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand. However, the posts ofthe two Information Commissioners will remain vacant for the time being. The meeting to appoint the state CIC was postponed twice earlier because Mehbooba had boycotted them but this time she had agreed to join the meeting.

Man with disability uses RTI to expose bogus voter lists

2011-02-02T19:39:00.000-08:00

'Bus depot on riverbed without DDA permission'

2011-02-02T19:15:00.000-08:00

The contentious Millennium Depot of the Delhi Transport Corporation on the Yamuna riverbed has come up without permission from the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the land-owning agency. In an RTI reply last week, the DDA's planning department said that "no permission for construction of depot at this location has been given." "We had given permission for temporary parking for some 600 buses during the Common-wealth Games," said a senior DDA official on condition of anonymity.

No recording facility in CCTV, cops tell RTI applicant

2011-02-02T19:13:00.001-08:00

Though CCTV cameras across the city have helped the police in nailing culprits, Right to Information (RTI) applicant Sanjay Shrivastava, who had demanded recordings of DN Nagar police station, was surprised by the reply to his application. It said that though the police station had CCTV cameras installed, there was no recording facility in it. Shrivastava and his friends - Gaurav Chaurasia, Kamlesh Mishra and Nagesh Tiwari - who were arrested and brought to the respective police stations on October 18, had accused assistant inspector IM Gaikwad of assaulting them in the police station and manipulating their medical reports.

Punjab, Haryana info panels among worst

2011-02-02T19:11:00.001-08:00

he state information commissions of Punjab and Haryana are among the worst when it comes to denying information or penalizing the guilty public information officers for blocking information sought under the RTI Act. A performance analysis covering the period from April, 2009 to April, 2010, of information commissions done recently by the Delhi-based Public Cause Research Foundation reveals that information commissioners of Punjab and Haryana figure in the list of worst performers. Three information commissioners from Punjab state information commission figure in the list of commissioners, who imposed zero penalties against their PIOs. They are Jaspal Kaur, DS Kahlon and chief information commissioner RI Singh, who could have imposed penalties in 464 cases but failed to do so even in a single case, causing a loss of Rs 1.16 cr.

`CRZ rules flouted in Nariman Point'

2011-02-02T19:10:00.000-08:00

BJP legislator Vinod Tawde’s Right To Information (RTI) query got two contradictory replies about a SRA project. One says that there is no Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) permission given to a Slum Redevelopment project in a prime Nariman Point area while a reply on the floor of the state assembly says that all necessary permissions to the project have been given. The plot in question is on a prime land right next to the Manora hostel for members of the legislative assembly where a private developer is implementing a slum redevelopment authority (SRA) scheme for the rehabilitation of adjoining Mahatma Phule slum colony.

Violating SC order, states keep death row prisoners isolated

2011-02-02T19:07:00.001-08:00

In violation of Supreme Court directions, 28 persons are being kept in solitary confinement in various jails all over the country. Information under Right to Information (RTI) Act obtained by Navkiran Singh, a lawyer practising in Punjab and Haryana High Court, reveals that West Bengal has the maximum number of prisoners kept ‘illegally’ in solitary confinement. While West Bengal has 16 such prisoners, Rajasthan and Jharkhand have three each.

No info on Swiss bank accounts, govt to CIC

2011-02-02T19:06:00.001-08:00

Amid reports that Wikileaks may have details of Indian account holders in Swiss banks, the Indian government denied having any such information. Or this, atleast, is what it told the transparency watchdog — Central Information Commission — last week. As per the Swiss Banking Association Report of 2008, India tops the list of countries with deposits in Swiss banks with US $1,891 billion, followed by Russia and China. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) told Information Commissioner Annapurna Dixit that there was no record of any list of Indians holding secret accounts in Swiss banks. “No such information has been provided by the Switzerland government or any other body to the MEA,” said the ministry’s Public Information Officer Debraj Pradhan, in an oral submission before the Central Information Commission (CIC).

Punjab Information Commission imposes Rs.80,000 fine of Mohali DEO for defying RTI Act

2011-02-02T19:05:00.000-08:00

The District Education Officer (elementary) Mohali Surjit Kaur has faced the ire of State Information Commission for denying inforamtion to six applicants under RTI Act. The Commission has fined her Rs.87,825 for the lapse. Surjit Kaur who was earlier posted in the office of DPI(Secondary) was found guilty by the SIC which directed the education department to deduct the fine amount from the salary of Surjit Kaur. Education department has also withdrawn D.D.O. powers from the District Education Officer (E) and handed over to D.E.O. (secondary).

Tripura appoints new information commissioners

2011-01-24T22:18:00.001-08:00

The Tripura government Friday made new appointments to the state's Information Commission constituted under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. But the move was rejected by the main opposition Congress. Former Tripura chief secretary Shashi Prakash and former principal secretary Shyamalima Banerjee, both retired IAS officers, have been appointed as chief information commissioner and information commissioner respectively, according to an official announcement. Main opposition Congress rejected the appointments, blaming the Left Front government for 'appointment of yes-men in the constitutional body'. 'The Left Front government has been selecting yes-men in the chairs of Information Commission to ensure illegal secrecy and suppress information from people to cover up corruption, misdeeds, nepotism and irregularities conducted in the government departments and other local government bodies,' opposition leader Ratan Lal Nath told reporters.

All public interest info covered under RTI, rules Punjab and Haryana High Court

2011-01-24T22:17:00.001-08:00

In a crucial judgment, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today made it clear that "only that information is exempted, the disclosure of which, has no relationship to any public interest" from the purview of Right to Information Act. Justice MS Sullar today delivered the judgment while dismissing an appeal filed by one DP Jangra, District Food and Supplies Controller, Yamuna Nagar, Haryana. The appellant had sought quashing of an order of the Haryana State Information Commission which had allowed a petition filed by one Shamsher Singh.

RTI penalties for delay in information are rarely imposed

2011-01-24T22:16:00.001-08:00

Even five years after the enactment of the pioneering Right to Information Act (RTI), penalties for delays in providing what has been sought under the law are imposed in less than 4% of the cases, an independent audit shows. The Act, which empowers citizens to demand information from the government, provides for the imposition of penalties by the Central or State Information Commission in case of delays without reasonable cause. The landmark legislation was passed during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government’s first term as part of its efforts to make officialdom more accountable.

CIC orders HPCL to publicly disclose list of LPG consumers

2011-01-24T22:15:00.001-08:00

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) has been directed by the Central Information Commission in order to make public the list of its consumers of commercial and domestic cooking gas connections. "This is to ensure that all information regarding any subsidy or concession given by the government is widely known so that any possibility of selecting wrong beneficiaries or diverting, scarce and costly resources meant for certain class of people can be prevented," Chief Information Commissioner Satyananda Mishra said.

HC stays CIC order asking govt to publish EWS admission data

2011-01-24T22:14:00.000-08:00

The Delhi High Court has stayed an order passed by the Central Information Commission (CIC) directing the city government to make public the admission criteria for children of economically weaker section (EWS) followed by private schools for last three years. The court also stayed the CIC order to put on the government website the details about the annual returns placed on record by the schools. Justice S Muralidhar recently stayed till April 7 the directions passed by CIC on an application for information under the Right To Information (RTI) Act. The order came on an appeal filed by the association of city''s private schools -- The Delhi State Public School Management Association -- challenging CIC''s order passed on December 12 last year.

RTI activists up in arms against AMK Nayak’s appointment as CIC

2011-01-24T22:13:00.001-08:00

Right to Information (RTI) activists have registered their strong protest against former senior bureaucrat AMK Nayak as the state chief information commissioner (CIC).
The state government, in its order on Friday, had announced the selection of Nayak as the CIC. However, DNA, in its report had disclosed that Nayak was an ardent opponent of the RTI Act and did not deserve to be heading the information commission. The RTI activists, advocates and the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) spoke in unison opposing his appointment. Responding to the DNA report, a group of advocates under the banner of Mahithi Hakku Horata Kenrda Samithi, said they would oppose Nayak’s appointment. Their representation before Governor HR Bhardwaj stated that five names were recommended by the chief minister to the post of CIC and information commissioners.

Goa minister booked for land scam

2011-01-24T22:12:00.001-08:00

Goa's Tourism and Housing Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar was Tuesday booked by the vigilance department in connection with a multi-million rupee land scam, police said.
The first information report (FIR) against Halarnkar follows written directions from a local court, which instructed the state government to file an FIR after hearing a petition filed by right to information (RTI) activists. Superintendent of Police (Vigilance) Bosco George told reporters that the Nationalist Congress party (NCP) legislator had been booked under section 409 of the Indian Penal Code (criminal breach of trust by public servant).

Landmark directives from Tripura RTI

2011-01-24T22:11:00.001-08:00

In a first of its kind initiative, the Tripura Right to Information Act (RTI) Commission recently introduced an online system for registering complaints and second appeals. The commission has also given three landmark directives that allow government employees to see their Annual Confidential Report (ACR), Departmental Promotions Committee (DPC) minutes as well as the caste status of public servants. "These three judgments have set precedence in the country and are now being considered in other states as well," said B K Chakrabarty, chief information commissioner (CIC) here.

Draft amendments may sound RTI death knell

2011-01-24T22:10:00.002-08:00

Proposed changes to the Right to Information (RTI) Act threaten to render it
ineffective to a large extent. The amendments include restricting questions per RTI query to one and word count to 250 per query, and levying a 'hire' charge. If the Department of Personal and Training's proposed draft comes into effect it would be applicable to all central government agencies and respective state commissions can follow suit and adopt these rules accordingly after issuing state resolutions. RTI activists said the draft rules would kill the Act and citizens will not get adequate responses. "The manner in which the DoPT is pushing the draft rules without asking for suggestions shows they want to dilute the Act and make it ineffective. The DoPT just gave 17 days (December 10 to December 27) to invite suggestions and comments. The draft rules suggest major changes that need to be debated. The Centre should have given more time for people to respond and given far more coverage to the rules in public forums, informing everyone of these changes. After all this is a people's Act," Bhaskar Prabhu, convener of the Mahiti Adhikar Manch said.

NAC differs with govt on new rules for RTI Act

2011-01-24T22:10:00.000-08:00

UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC) is on collision course once again with the government. This time the bone of contention is the new draft rules framed for Right to Information (RTI) Act which make it mandatory for applicants to file questions on a single subject in 250 words. NAC’s sub-group on transparency and accountability, headed by social activist Aruna Roy, has sent a strongly-worded critique of the draft rules to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) saying the draft rules were against the “spirit of the RTI Act” . According to sources, NAC discussed the issue for 15 minutes in its meeting on Monday and adopted the sub-group’s views

Still no mechanism to ensure errant PIOs pay fine

2011-01-24T22:08:00.000-08:00

Five years after the Right To Information (RTI) Act was enacted, there still does not appear to be a proper mechanism in place to ensure that public information officers fined by the Tamil Nadu Information Commission (TNIC) comply with such orders. While most officers directed to pay a fine for their refusal to reply to RTI queries or for giving incorrect or incomplete information obtained stay orders from the Madras high court, RTI activists complain that there is no one to vacate the court stay.

Bring PPP projects under RTI: CIC

2011-01-24T22:07:00.003-08:00

The Central Information Commission, the final appellate authority for the Right to Information (RTI) Act, has asked the Planning Commission to include disclosure norms in all future public-private-partnership (PPP) projects undertaken by the Centre and the state governments. Chief Information Commissioner Satyananda Mishra has written to Planning Commission deputy-chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia to incorporate disclosure norms, so that any project which has the participation of private firms and concessionaires come under the purview of the transparency legislation. A full Commission meeting on December 28, after a detailed discussion, viewed that private companies undertaking government projects should be brought under the RTI Act. All information commissioners agreed that a specific disclosure clause should be included in the model concessionaire agreement (MCA) between the government and the private party.

City fathers fail to disclose assets, liabilities

2011-01-24T22:07:00.001-08:00

Civic representatives in Gulbarga, Bidar and Yadgir ditsricts under Hyderabad-Karnatak region face the threat of disqualification as they have failed to submit their assets and liabilities. The Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act, 1976 19(1) Act mandates that members of the city corporation or municipality should declare their assets and liabilities before the mayor. However, councillors are ignorant of the Act.
In the Gulbarga Muncipal Corporation (GMC), so far only four corporators, including deputy mayor Syed Sajjad Ali, have filed their assets and liabilities. An RTI filed by former minister S K Kantha has revealed that of the total 55 corporators, only four have declared their assets and liabilities.

Irregularities detected in Pune pay-n-park scheme

2011-01-24T22:06:00.001-08:00

The parking contractors engaged by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) at five city gardens continue to levy parking charges on four-wheeled vehicles for road-side parking facilities even after the expiry of their contracts. The matter came to light after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) worker, Mahesh Sambhus, filed an application under the Right to Information Act, 2005, seeking details about the tenure of the parking contractors hired by the PMC.

Missing law commission file traced

2011-01-24T22:05:00.001-08:00

The file pertaining to the formation of Goa Law Commission headed by Ramakant Khalap which had gone missing has now re-surfaced. The under secretary, law, N P Signapurker has informed social activist Aires Rodrigues under the Right to Information Act that the file was received by the law department on January 5 from the debt management division of the finance department. The debt management wing of the finance department is headed by Anupam Kishore. The law department had earlier informed Rodrigues that it came to the notice of the department that the file was not traceable on October 20, 2010, on the very day he had sought information under the RTI Act.

Private developers to be subject to RTI

2011-01-08T21:35:00.001-08:00

In an effort to stem the tide of corruption and keep the builder lobby "on a tight leash", a number of checks and guards have been introduced in the new coastal zone regulations. But the one that is likely to cause much consternation among developers is the Centre's insistence that private companies undertaking any redevelopment of koliwadas (fishing villages) within 100 m of the coastline will come under the purview of the Right to Information Act (RTI). This is also seen as a move the government's part to protect its interests, given that it will now be mandatory for the state to partner with builders in redeveloping slums and hold a minimum stake of 51%. The announcement was made by Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh at a press conference on Saturday.

City fathers fail to disclose assets, liabilities

2011-01-08T21:34:00.000-08:00

Civic representatives in Gulbarga, Bidar and Yadgir ditsricts under Hyderabad-Karnatak region face the threat of disqualification as they have failed to submit their assets and liabilities. The Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act, 1976 19(1) Act mandates that members of the city corporation or municipality should declare their assets and liabilities before the mayor. However, councillors are ignorant of the Act. In the Gulbarga Muncipal Corporation (GMC), so far only four corporators, including deputy mayor Syed Sajjad Ali, have filed their assets and liabilities. An RTI filed by former minister S K Kantha has revealed that of the total 55 corporators, only four have declared their assets and liabilities.

Karnataka's next information commissioner is not a votary of RTI Act

2011-01-08T21:32:00.001-08:00

Former senior bureaucrat AKM Nayak, who is being appointed the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) of the Karnataka Information Commission (KIC), once opposed transparency in governance. The government’s decision to appoint him as CIC has shocked many activists, who feel it would result in defeating the very purpose of the Right to Information (RTI) Act. A letter which is in DNA's possession written by Nayak on February 27, 2002, to Raju Prem Kumar, the then principal secretary of the department of personnel and administrative reforms (DPAR), is ample proof about Nayak’s proclivity. “During the past two years (that is, prior to 2002), the government has been acting in a hurry and repenting at leisure, be it the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements Act of 2001 or Right to Information Act. It should not create one more problem for itself,” writes Nayak.

Gogoi involved in embezzlement: KMSS

2011-01-08T21:30:00.000-08:00

Peasant organisation Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti today alleged that Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is involved in embezzling the public money of the State and part of the money laundered by him has been siphoned off to the US to procure property there in the names of members of his family.
The peasant organisation also demanded a CBI inquiry into the allegation and dared the Chief Minister to make a public statement on the source of the money used in procuring property in the US. Addressing mediapersons at a press conference here this afternoon, KMSS secretary Akhil Gogoi alleged that the Chief Minister has several houses in the US in the names of his wife Dolly Gogoi (12700 W Dodge Road, Omaha NE 69154), daughter Chandrima Gogoi (701 Berry Ave, Los Angeles C A 94024) and son-in-law Prasenjit Phukan (178 Ownes Ct Mountain View C A 94043; 143 Albany St, Cambridge MA 02139 and Los Altos CA 94022).

RTI queries on only 1 subject at a time: CIC

2011-01-08T18:33:00.000-08:00

Even as the Centre is considering amendments to the Right To Information rules, seeking to restrict RTI applications to one subject at a time and to 250 words, the Central Information Commission (CIC) in New Delhi seems to have gone a step ahead by implementing the draft proposals. To an RTI application filed by this reporter on December 6, 2010, which raised 20 queries seeking details pertaining to follow-up of fines imposed against public authorities, court stay obtained by public information officers against commission's order, disposal of cases and pending final appeals, the CIC chose to reply to only to ten questions.

AKM Nayak is new Karnataka RTI chief

2011-01-07T21:04:00.001-08:00

Former additional chief secretary AKM Nayak has been chosen as the state chief information commissioner of Karnataka Information Commission, the top Right To Information watchdog in the state.

RTI activist questions roles of ex-MMRDA bosses

2011-01-07T21:03:00.000-08:00

Right to Information (RTI) activists tracking investigations into the Adarsh housing scam have demanded that two previous chiefs of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) should be grilled about the irregularities. RTI activist Anil Galgali has said that previous metropolitan commissioners Suresh Joshi and T Chandrashekhar are responsible for signing the Commencement Certificates (CC) at various stages of the construction of the Adarsh building since 2005.

Tripura launches RTI website

2011-01-07T21:02:00.000-08:00

To facilitate prompt filing of complaints, hearing and disposal of cases under the Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005, the state information commission of Tripura has launched a website — www.rtitripura.nic.in. The outgoing chief information commissioner, B.K. Chakraborty, said this today while interacting with the media at the state information commission’s office.

Government sends letter to governor for Ramanand Tiwari’s removal

2011-01-07T21:01:00.000-08:00

The government on Friday sent a letter to governor K Sankaranarayanan seeking the removal of information commissioner Ramanand Tiwari in connection with the Adarsh Housing scam. “The government has started the process of Tiwari's removal," an officer from the Mantralaya said. "As per the norms, it is mandatory for the government to recommend the sacking of Tiwari to the governor." A source at Raj Bhawan said that the governor was out of town till January 11. But that is unlikely to come in the way of Tiwari's removal. The process might take some time though as the papers will be thoroughly scrutinised.

Give details of action taken in Hussain's painting issue: CIC

2011-01-07T20:59:00.000-08:00

The Central Information Commission on Friday directed the Home Ministry to disclose whether it had sought a report from Intelligence Bureau on the controversial art work of celebrated painter M F Hussain and the final decision taken by the Ministry over the intelligence reports. Considering that reports from the intelligence agencies are exempted from disclosure under the Right to Information Act, Information Commissioner Sushma Singh asked the Ministry to at least inform whether it sought any report from it. The Commission said though IB reports are exempted from disclosure, it cannot be said about the final action taken by the Home Ministry on the basis of those reports.

Karnataka RTI watchdog likely to get new head today

2011-01-06T18:45:00.002-08:00

A three-member committee headed by chief minister B S Yeddyurappa is scheduled to meet on Friday to appoint the next State Chief Information Commissioner (SCIC) and at least four information commissioners to the Karnataka Information Commission (KIC), the right to information watchdog in the state. The committee which has higher education minister V S Acharya and leader of opposition in the legislative assembly Siddaramaiah as other members is to meet at 4pm to select the next SCIC.

Karnataka tourism takes Golden Chariot for a ride

2011-01-06T18:45:00.000-08:00

Complimentary trips and free passes granted to as many as 439 passengers over two years has rendered the pride of Karnataka tourism, The Golden Chariot (TGC), a major loss-making project.
According to details procured by DNA based on a Right To Information (RTI) application filed by an activist MZ Ali, TGC—designed on the lines of Rajasthan’s famed Palace On Wheels— has recorded a dismal Rs10.88 crore in total income since its inception on August 2, 2008, while incurring an expenditure of Rs23.19 crore till March 31, 2010

Goa State Information Commission summons Goa's Advocate General

2011-01-06T18:44:00.000-08:00

Goa State Information Commission has today issued notice to Goa’s Advocate General Subodh Kantak directing him to personally appear before the commission on 21st January at 10.30 am in connection with the complaint filed against him by Aires Rodrigues for non- complying with the Right to Information Act. The notice to the Advocate General Subodh Kantak follows the petition filed by Aires Rodrigues against Subodh Kantak for his failure to comply with the provisions of the Right to Information Act.

Petitions pile up before Andhra Pradesh info panel

2011-01-06T18:43:00.000-08:00

The Andhra Pradesh State Information Commission (APIC) has about 6,000 cases piled up before it. The four-member commission is left only with the chief information commissioner (CIC), Mr Jannat Husain, as the terms of three other commissioners expired last November. As the government is yet to appoint new commissioners, the commission is still handling appeals and complaints filed in early 2009. Currently, appeals and complaints pertaining to home, general administration finance and planning, energy, revenue and relief, infrastructure and investment, industries and commerce, and law department are being looked into by the CIC. The commission has 6,560 cases pending before it as on November 30. Under Section 15 (2) (b) of Right to Information Act, 2005, up to 10 commissioners could be appointed. However, officials in the commission hope to dispose of all the appeals and complaints within six months. They have sought the appointment of five information commissioners.

Punjab rules not in sync with RTI Act: CIC

2011-01-06T18:41:00.001-08:00

Taking on the Department of Information Technology and Administrative Reforms, under which the state information commission falls, Punjab CIC RI Singh asserted that the rules framed by the Punjab government were in conflict with the RTI Act. “The powers to make the rules have been vested with the government to carry out the provisions of this Act and not to thwart them,” he said. Singh said although a formal direction to the government may be beyond the jurisdiction of the commission, nevertheless, keeping in view the clauses of the rules, which violate the RTI Act, it was imperative to direct the Department of IT and AR to make suitable amendments so that continuous violation was rectified at the earliest.

Adarsh scam: Information Commissioner Tiwari's leave application rejected

2011-01-06T18:37:00.001-08:00

Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan on Wednesday refused to grant leave to Information Commissioner Ramanand Tiwari, whose son owns a flat in the controversial Adarsh Housing Society in Mumbai. "Tiwari had sought leave from January 7 to March 31. The Governor has not granted leave to him," a Raj Bhavan spokesperson said. Tiwari had submitted his leave application to the State Governor, amid a demand by the opposition for his ouster. Earlier on Monday, former IAS officer Subhash Lalla resigned as a member of Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission following allegations of his involvement in the scam.

Adarsh scam: Maharashtra Information Commissioner submits leave application

2011-01-06T18:36:00.001-08:00

Maharashtra Information Commissioner Ramanand Tiwari, whose son owns a flat in the controversial Adarsh Housing Society here, has submitted his leave application to the Governor, amid demand by the opposition for his ouster. “Tiwari had submitted leave application to the Governor, who is yet to take any decision on the matter,” a Raj Bhavan spokesperson said. Shiv Sena leader Subhash Desai has said that the government should sack Tiwari, a former IAS officer, for his alleged involvement in the Adarsh scam.

Give clarifications sought by Prez about Justice Prasad: CIC

2011-01-06T18:35:00.001-08:00

The Central Information Commission today directed the Rashtrapati Bhavan Secretariat to make public clarifications sought by the President before clearing the name of Justice C K Prasad as a Supreme Court judge. Justice Prasad was sworn in as a Supreme Court judge in February 8 last year. The collegium had in November 2009 recommended the elevation of the Allahabad High Court Chief Justice as the SC judge. However, the government returned the file seeking clarifications on allegations of corruption against Prasad.

Bogus ration cards issue: Gondia admn shielding employees?

2011-01-06T18:34:00.000-08:00

If the information given by tehsil office at Gondia under the Right to Information Act is any indication, then the administration seems to be shielding its officers and employees involved in giving bogus ration cards. The racket was exposed by the activists of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in May. Mahesh Wadhwani was caught red-handed with relevant documents. Local MNS activists had on May 19 trapped Wadhwani, one of the touts operating from the local tehsil office, with 23 ration cards, a pan card, 20 election identity cards, 21 applications for new ration cards, one blank ration card, several rubber stamps and a chalan book.

RTI activist who took on Shiv Sena man beaten up

2011-01-06T18:32:00.000-08:00

In the continuing attacks on Right to Information (RTI) activists, Yashwant Gavand (42), who took on a Shiv Sena corporator over alleged encroachments and undeclared assets, was severely beaten up by over two dozen people in a city locality on Sunday. Gavand, who is recovering at Mulund General Hospital for multiple injuries, said he had evidence proving that Bhandup corporator Suresh Shinde had several assets, which he had not declared to the Election Commission during the last elections. ‘‘Using the RTI documents, I filed a writ petition before the high court in 2010,’’ Gavand told The Times Of India. Police said the attack came after the municipal commissioner on December 15 ordered the ward officer to complete an inquiry by March 15 this year against Suresh Shinde against whom the victim had filed writ petitions. ‘‘Gavand availed of RTI that showed the corporator’s links to illegal structures and activities in Bhandup,’’ said Gavand’s friend Taranath Shetty.

RTI activist survives attack near Pune

2011-01-06T18:30:00.000-08:00

Noted Right to Information (RTI) activist Arun Mane was attacked on Sunday by unidentified assailants in a town near here, nearly a year after his friend Satish Shetty, another well-known RTI crusader, was murdered. The assailants came on motorbikes and attacked Mane with sticks in Talegaon Dabhade, around 30 km from here, the police said. The attackers fled as soon as Mane fell unconscious. He was later taken to a hospital and is stable. Thane had previously worked with Shetty, who was murdered on January 13 last year for blowing the whistle on land scams around Lonavla, Pimpri and Chinchwad areas. “Post Shetty’s death, I continued to carry forward his work and was trying to procure information on some land deals,” Mane said.

Top MP babu's fake certificates exposed

2011-01-01T10:28:00.001-08:00

In a first of its kind, the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha has asked its Principal Secretary AK Pyasi to submit certificates relating to his educational qualifications and date of birth within the next 10 days. Pyasi rose to power by allegedly using fake certificates. Madhya Pradesh Assembly Principal Secretary AK Pyasi is in the dock - not on charges of corruption but for allegedly producing fake educational certificates to get into the post of Chief Muncipal Officer in 1977. Pyasi is due to retire in May 2011 as Principal Secretary. But the state Vidhan Sabha is caught in a strange situation as it does not have Principal Secretary's service record
The man who first alleged that Pyasi had manipulated records and obtained jobs through fake certificates is advocate Sanjay Nayak. Nayak first asked for the service record book of Pyasi from the Vidhan Sabha under the Right to Information Act.

Tripura introduces online RTI plea filing

2011-01-01T10:27:00.000-08:00

Tripura Friday became the first Indian state to introduce online filing of Right to Information (RTI) complaints. Chief Minister Manik Sarkar launched the service of the Tripura Information Commission (TIC) here. 'The National Informatics Centre (NIC) developed a software for the National Information Commission to operate the 'Online System' of getting information, filing complaints by the people and their processing under the RTI Act,' Tripura's Chief Information Commissioner B.K. Chakraborty told IANS.

Over 600 children missing from Delhi this year

2010-12-30T10:44:00.000-08:00

Nearly 2,161 complaints of missing children were registered in seven of the 12 districts of Delhi in nine months of 2010, response to a Right to Information (RTI) query revealed Thursday. Over 1,500 children have been recovered, but 605 are still missing. 'At least 2,161 children went missing from northwest, south, north, outer, New Delhi, east, and southwest (police) districts of Delhi between January 1 and September 30 this year,' revealed the response to the RTI application filed by the Alliance for People's Rights (APR) -- a group of non-governmental organisations (NGO).

Delhi HC chief justice declares assets on website

2010-12-30T10:42:00.000-08:00

The Delhi high court chief justice Dipak Misra has made public his assets by posting it on the court website, seven months after taking charge of the office. The declaration dated December 6, 2010 put on www.delhihighcourt.nic.in recently gives details of landed property, bank deposits and investments made by him, his wife Suprama Misra and daughters Kajal and Sheetal. However, like other judges of the court, he has not made any mention of jewellery or vehicles owned by him and family. Justice Misra (57), a native of Orissa, owns a house in Cuttack. He declared the land was acquired in 1981 for R25,000 out of the “self earned income” as an advocate before he became a judge in 1996. Its construction was completed in 1988 at a total cost of R6.75 lakh. In 2003 he had also bought a flat in Supreme Enclave, Mayur Vihar, taking a loan of R22.50 lakh from HDFC bank. He has not invested in shares and mutual funds. He has R7.2 lakh in fixed deposits, R4 lakh in GPF and R3 lakh worth investment in life insurance.

Lucknow University to pay fine of Rs 15000 to student

2010-12-30T07:29:00.000-08:00

The State Information Commission (SIC) has slapped a fine of Rs. 15,000 on Lucknow University for not awarding medal to a meritorious student as convocation was not held. The order was passed by SIC Gyanendra Sharma after the student Alka Bhargava, who had topped M.Sc (organic Chemistry) in 1994, alleged that she was not given the gold medal by the University officials. She also alleged she had a tough time in getting the degree certificate. After University authorities allegedly did not respond to her plea, Bhargava approached SIC, which asked the varsity to pay Rs. 15,000 as fine, official sources said.

RTI plea forces Gujarat govt to prepare database of births, deaths

2010-12-29T22:49:00.000-08:00

Thanks to an uncommon initiative by a common man from a village in Rajkot district, the people of the state will have a New Year’s gift: the vital data concerning the births and deaths of their near and dear ones will be put in a retrievable format. This will not only help people get duplicate certificates in the event of the originals being lost but they can also get appropriate information about such important matters even if the official records are destroyed. Deputy chief registrar of births and deaths, DM Patel, has told the state information commission that from 2011 the births and deaths registration would be computerised and that the National Informatics Centre (NIC) had designed a software that would enable all data to be there on a central server.

Think twice before you blow the whistle on someone

2010-12-29T22:43:00.000-08:00

Fighting for citizen rights can turn a tad ugly. So it is wise to be on your guard while pointing fingers at something, or somebody. A family of RTI activists had to suffer abuses and assaults when they accused a school of illegal functioning. Brothers Uday Shankar and Dharmapalya were beaten black and blue by the DJ Halli police on December 16 when they filed an RTI, suggesting the illegal functioning of Amar English School.

RTI shows the way to act

2010-12-29T22:41:00.000-08:00

At 27, M C Chandan has completed his masters in social work but he isn’t really looking for a job. This native of Kodagu in Karnataka, is more interested in building a non-corrupt system — which has also become a career option thanks to the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Indeed, people like Chandan all over the country are hard at work developing the right to information into a powerful tool for transparency. Chandan comes from a rural background, so he knows first-hand the problems of graft. He has long dreamed of a just society, and the RTI Act gave his aspirations just the boost they needed. For the last four years he has filed nearly 4,500 applications on various subjects. He seems to have found his metier, and developed a distinct vision about corruption and ways to stem it. In the process, he has turned his vocation into a career. Chandan is one of the early RTI entrepreneurs as he has designed a four-month course on corruption for community leaders and citizens. The course promises to equip the participants with the knowledge of how to use the RTI to fight corruption.

Invoke section 17 of RTI act to remove Tiwari

2010-12-29T16:52:00.000-08:00

City-based non-governmental organisations on Wednesday sent a letter to chief minister Prithviraj Chavan saying that the state should make a recommendation to the governor to invoke section 17 (3) (e) of the Right to Information Act (RTI) 2005 removing Ramanand Tiwari from the post of state information commissioner. The letter was sent by Sajag Nagrik Manch president Vivek Velankar, Surajya Sangharsha Samiti president Vijay Kumbhar, RTI activist Vihar Durve and Nagrik Chetana Manch president Maj Gen (retd) S C N Jatar. It was sent following media reports that Tiwari was not tendering his resignation, despite being asked to do so by the government, on account of his alleged involvement in the Adarsh society scam. Tiwari, whose son had got membership in Adarsh, was the urban development secretary and was directly dealing with the Adarsh proposal.

Section 4 drive by Loksatta Sanjeevani in Andhra Pradesh

2010-12-29T12:08:00.001-08:00

To mark the 5th anniversary of the enactment of the RTI Act, the Sanjeevani team has filed an unprecedented 500 RTI applications. Significantly, all 500 applications target a single section of the RTI Act - Section 4(1)(b). The provisions of Section 4(1)(b) are key to transparency in the system - they help remove obscurity and the accompanying corruption and ultimately, empower citizens to make officials accountable. These applications have been filed with all state and secretariat heads of departments of the Andhra Pradesh Government and some Nalgonda, Rangareddy and Hyderabad district offices. Staring September 25, 13 Sanjeevani activists spent several weeks filling and posting applications, analyzing and documenting responses, preparing and filing complaints with the Information Commissioner.

Former babus Tiwari, Lala refuse to step down

2010-12-29T12:07:00.001-08:00

While the state government has asked retired bureaucrats Information Commissioner Ramanand Tiwari and State Human Rights Commission member Subhash Lala to resign from their present posts after their names were linked to the Adarsh Co-operative Housing Society scam, the two have apparently refused to step down. A senior bureaucrat said while the Prithviraj Chavan-led Congress-NCP state
government had asked the two to put in their papers, they had declined. While Tiwari's son Omkar is a member of the society located in upmarket Cuffe Parade, Lala's mother Susheela Shaligram and daughter Sumeela Sethi are also in the society, the controversy over which was the trigger for the removal of Ashok Chavan as Chief Minister in November. While Tiwari, who was in charge of the Urban Development Department during his days in the bureaucracy, did not respond to phone calls, Lala, who was one principal secretary to the chief minister, said he had no comments to offer.

Student's RTI way to get disability certificate

2010-12-29T12:06:00.001-08:00

Likhitha, a class nine student of Kendriya Vidyalaya MEGBangalore, was in a dilemma about how to obtain a physical disablilty certificate. She did not know how to apply but needed the certificate for concessions in travel and education. Likhitha approached the Right to Information centre, run
by some activists to help people file RTI applications. One of the activists at the centre, who did not want to be named, filed the RTI on her behalf as she was a minor and could not apply on her own. "We wanted to help her, especially because information can help the physically disabled people, to acquire certificates that would benefit them," said the person. "This RTI is an essential document for people who want to avail various benefits by getting a certificate."

Now, students can take CAT test papers home: Delhi HC

2010-12-29T12:05:00.000-08:00

In a first, the Delhi high court (HC) has ruled that students appearing for competitive exams at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) can take the question papers home since it falls within the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Around 2.15 lakh students appear for Aiims exam each year. The ruling means even students appearing for IIT-JEE, CAT and other such exams will be allowed to take question papers home. The Delhi HC upheld the Central Information Commission's order to provide question papers to Vikrant Bhuria, who appeared for Aiims' Mch entrance test. Justice S Muralidhar said Aiims has not been able to show how the disclosure of the question paper would adversely affect the competitive position of a third party under the RTI.

Six years after tsunami, no houses for victims

2010-12-29T12:01:00.000-08:00

Six years since the tsunami in the Indian Ocean washed away millions of lives and livelihoods, victims in certain fishing villages in Chennai are yet to get the free houses promised under the rehabilitation scheme. What's more, the government does not even have data of the affected people and those eligible for resettlement in these villages. Residents of Srinivasapuram and Foreshore Estate have been denied the free housing provided under the Emergency Tsunami Reconstruction Programme funded by the World Bank for six years for dubious reasons. The project originally planned for these two fishing villages was later called off, citing non-cooperation from residents. However official records show the government does not even have data of the number of people affected. This was revealed in an RTI filed by Shashi Kumar, a resident of Foreshore Estate and secretary of Coastal Communities Protection Movement. "How can they claim the project was cancelled due to lack of cooperation when they do not have even preliminary data on the number of victims eligible for the scheme," he asks. Residents allege the government was hesitating to build the houses as a proposed elevated expressway would run over Srinivasapuram and Foreshore Estate.

Disclose meetings agenda, RBI told

2010-12-29T11:56:00.000-08:00

An order passed by Chief Information Commissioner Satyananda Mishra makes it mandatory for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to disclose pre-board meeting agenda notes and minutes. RBI has been told to draft a "disclosure policy" by February 2011 to bring about greater transparency in the bank's functioning. The Commission said such a move "will also set the trend for other banks to follow". The decision came on an application filed by one Kishan Lal Mittal, a resident of Mumbai, who had asked from RBI the copies of the minutes of the meetings of governing board, board of directors, committee of directors of the central bank from April 2007 and information regarding the complaint handling procedures followed by it against banking/non-banking companies. RBI's Public Information Officer said the information was "voluminous" and would take a long time to furnish, which would result in wasting public money.

FIR against Goa Congress MLA after RTI exposes forgery

2010-12-29T11:53:00.001-08:00

The Goa police on Friday registered a first information report (FIR) in Mapusa in North Goa against Dayanand G. Narvekar, president of the Goa Cricket Association (GCA) and a ruling Congress MLA and his family members on charges of forging his son's birth certificate to make him eligible for a national-level Under-15 Cricket tournament for the third time beating rules. Mr. Narvekar, former Law Minister, his wife Sushma Narvekar, his son Ganeshraj Narvekar and Ravindra Chodankar have been named as accused in the FIR registered by the Mapusa police based on a complaint by Shekhar Salkar, former GCA executive member.

Madhya Pradesh under hazardous wastes threat

2010-12-29T11:52:00.000-08:00

The Right to Information Act (RTI) has helped reveal that apart from the 350 tonnes of wastes inside the now defunct Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, around 26,500 tonnes of wastes remain unattended in other districts of Madhya Pradesh. Prayatna, a social organisation, has now got records from both the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which show thousands of tonnes of hazardous wastes dumped in the state, most of them in Ratlam district. CPCB records showed seven sites, including that of Sajjan Chemicals, Ratlam. The company, producing H-acid, G-acid, etc, remains closed since 1999 and has the biggest stock of hazardous wastes - 20,906 tonnes.

HC to DMRC: Disclose crashed pillar's design

2010-12-29T11:50:00.000-08:00

The Delhi high court on Friday directed the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to disclose the design of an under-construction pillar at Zamrudpur in south Delhi that collapsed last year, killing six people. The court issued the order while dismissing the DMRC's appeal against a Central Information Commission (CIC) order of March 18, 2010, asking it to reveal the design to architect Sudhir Vohra under the RTI Act. "The details of the design are already on the internet and, therefore, in the public domain. In the circumstances, the disclosure of such design can hardly be said to prejudicially affect the security, strategic, scientific or economic interests of the DMRC (as claimed by it). Consequently, this court finds no ground having been made out by the DMRC for interfering with the impugned order passed by the CIC", said Justice S Muralidhar.

Uttarakhand HC issues notice to state Government on IC's

2010-12-29T11:49:00.000-08:00

Uttarakhand High Court at Nanital sent notice to state government in connection with a PIL seeking quashing of appointment of former chief secretary N S Napalchyal as Chief Information Commissioner of the state. A two-judge division bench, presided over by the Chief Justice of High Court,
Nainital, while admitting the PIL filed by Jan Haqdaari Manch (JHM), asked the state government to reply in the matter before the next date of hearing set by Court for February 15, 2011. According to JHM counsel G K Verma, his client has prayed to the High court for quashing the government order of October 18, 2010, appointing Mr Napalchyal as Chief Information Commissioner, claiming that it was against the Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005's section 15.

Now, SC puts CIC selection under lens

2010-12-29T11:48:00.001-08:00

After the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC), the selection and appointment of the Chief Information Comm-issioner (CIC) and Information Commissioners have come under the judicial scanner. Issuing notice to the Centre on a petition filed by Right to Information (RTI) activist Arvind Kejriwal, the Supreme Court has sought a response to the allegations of arbitrariness, nepotism and mala fide practices in appointing the CIC and Information Commissioners since 2005, when the RTI Act came into effect. What has come as another embarrassment to the Government is the apex court's questioning of the appointments made at the highest level by a high-power selection committee, chaired by the Prime Minister. Earlier, Kejriwal failed to convince the Delhi High Court to hear his plea. The appeal has been entertained by the Supreme Court against the order of dismissal passed by the high court on October 20.

87 lakhs in expenses incurred by headless J&K State Information Commission

2010-12-29T11:45:00.000-08:00

Here is the complete response provided by the State Information Commission in reply to Raman Sharma's RTI application seeking details of expenditures on the (headless) J&K State Information Commission from its establishment in Oct. 2009 until now. See our OpEd in Kashmir http://blog.jkrtimovement.org/?p=3527 Times published on 16 & 17 Dec. 2010 outlining (1) the importance of a strong & independent information commission, (2) our explanation on why ex-J&K
bureaucrats are poor choices, and (3) the criteria for an ideal information commissioner.

http://blog.jkrtimovement.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/SIC-expenses.pdf

Best regards,
Dr. Preetaish Kaul [J&K RTI Movement Blog]

8,000 RTI cases pending for disposal in Orissa says Minister Prafulla Samal

2010-12-29T11:43:00.001-08:00

Information and Public Relations Minister Prafulla Samal on Tuesday informed the State Assembly that directives have already been issued to all the Government offices under 38 Departments to implement Right to Information (RTI) Act. Replying to a question of Bijay Kumar Mohanty, the Minister informed that the RTI Act came to force on October 12, 2005. As per section 4 of the Act, the offices have been advised to provide information to the citizens as per their request in prescribed forms. "A total of 8,000 cases have remained pending for disposal due ton non implementation of section 4 of RTI Act. Similarly, a total of 7,179 cases of second appeal are pending with Odisha Information Commissioner for disposal," he said.

State Information Commission summons Goa Governor

2010-12-29T11:42:00.000-08:00

Goa State Information Commission has today issued notice to Goa Governor Dr. S.S. Sidhu directing him to personally appear before the commission on 4th January 2011 at 10.30 am in connection with the complaint filed against him by Adv. Aires Rodrigues for non- complying with the Right to Information Act. The Commission has also issued notice directing the Special Secretary to the
Governor Dr. N.Radhakrishnan to also remain present. The notice to Goa Governor follows the petition filed yesterday by Aires Rodrigues against Goa Governor Dr S.S. Sidhu for his failure to comply with the provisions of the Right to Information Act.

Vinita Kamte, 4 others win RTI award

2010-12-29T11:37:00.000-08:00

The jury singled out Vinita for showing courage in taking on the establishment in moment of grief
Slain Mumbai police officer Ashok Kamte’s wife Vinita, who exposed the chaos in the police control room on 26/11 and restored her husband’s honour, will get this year’s RTI award along with four others, including Goa’s young political activist Rajan Savlo Ghate for his campaign against foreigners owning properties in the tourist heaven. A jury -with Infosys chief mentor Narayana Murthy, former chief justice of India J S Verma, former chief election commissioner J M Lyngdoh and media personality Madhu Trehan as members -went through the stories of those who used RTI as an instrument to make an impact.

DoPT silent on RTI for Indians abroad

2010-12-20T12:24:00.000-08:00

The department of personal and training (DoPT) has become a stumbling block when it comes to formulating a procedure for Indians living abroad to file RTI applications.
It has been three months since the ministry of communication & information technology sought the help of DoPT on developing a methodology to assist Indians living abroad in filing RTI applications. But DoPT is yet to respond on the matter. On August 16, Shantanu Consul, then Secretary, DoPT, wrote identical letters to Radhika Doraiswamy, secretary, department of posts and Nirupama Rao, foreign secretary asking for inputs on devising a system enabling Indians living abroad to file RTI applications.

Activist wants public debate before changes in RTI Act

2010-12-20T12:22:00.000-08:00

Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Pahel (MAGP) has urged the Department of Personnel Training (DOPT) for a public debate all over the country before the Right to Information Act, 2005, is amended. In a letter sent to DoPT, MAGP secretary Pankti Jog said the debates and discussions were necessary where the restrictions were proposed to be imposed on the citizens' rights. Stating that MAGP had studied the proposed rules, she said while some of the proposals were progressive, others were highly regressive. Giving examples, she said the move to restrict the number of words to only 250 in the request for information was beyond the scope of the RTI Act, 2005. "It is impractical, gives arbitrary powers to the principal information officer (PIO) and will lead to rejection of even genuine applications from the citizens requiring information," the letter said.

Kashmir's RTI Warriors

2010-12-20T12:20:00.001-08:00

A small but dedicated band of RTI warriors is determined to fight for people's
empowerment through the weapon of information. In July 2010, when stone-pelting teenagers were battling it out with policemen on the streets of Kashmir, one young Kashmiri was taking on the security forces in his own way. In a video conference call from Srinagar, Muzaffar Bhat, a dentist by education, deposed before Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah about an unsuccessful 2007 application for information, under the Right to Information Act, on the whereabouts of a man from Budgam district who was picked up by the Border Security Force in 1990 and has not been seen since.

How correct are the proposed amendments to RTI rules

2010-12-20T07:29:00.001-08:00

आम आदमी के लिए इंसाफ के दरवाजे खोलने व सरकारी कार्यप्रणाली में पारदर्शिता लाने के मकसद से सूचना का अधिकार कानून (राईट टू इंफारमेशन एक्ट) बनाया था, जिससे आम आदमी रक्षा मंत्रालय व सुरक्षा संबंधी गोपनीय सूचनाओं को छोड़कर किसी भी विभाग की जानकारी हासिल कर सकता है, लेकिन अब नागरिकों के लिए बनाया गया यह कानून आम नहीं रहेगा।

ताजा होने जा रहे फेरबदल के अनुसार आरटीआई के आवेदनों में 250 शब्दों की सीमा होगी, जिसमें अधिकारियों और आवेदकों के पते शामिल नहीं होंगे। इसके इलावा आवेदन में सिर्फ एक ही विषय होगा। इसके साथ ही सूचना मुहैया करवाने के लिए किसी उपकरण के इस्तेमाल पर प्रशासन की ओर से की जाने वाली वास्तविक राशि भी आवेदक को देनी पड़ेगी। 'दैनिक जागरण' ने आरटीआई कानून में हुए फेरदबदल संबंधी शहर के आरटीआई कानून पर कार्य कर रहे प्रतिनिधियों से बात की।

Pending cases at CIC double up

2010-12-17T21:47:00.000-08:00

The number of pending cases at the Central Information Commission (CIC) has been increasing over the years with more than 13,000 cases pending till September this year compared to 7,000 in 2009. Of these, around 300 cases are pending for more than a year. What's more, most of the cases are pending due to the retirement of former chief information commissioner Wajahat Habibullah. In reply to a query filed under Right to Information (RTI) by chartered accountant Rakesh Gupta, the CIC has said it has 13,668 cases pending till September. There are 7,495 cases that are pending for three months; 4,970 for three to six months; 904 cases for more than six months and 299 for more than a year. The number has only increased over the years. In March, the Hindustan Times had
reported that there were 7,068 cases pending during January to December 2009. Incidentally, the transparency watchdog's own website has not updated these figures.

Amendments proposed, RTI rules likely to be more people-friendly

2010-12-17T21:44:00.000-08:00

The withdrawal on the limitation of number of words when asking for information, restructuring of fees, halting provisions to withdraw an appeal under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, are some of the amendments in the RTI rules that have been adopted by the Working Group on Transparency, Accountability and Governance under the National Advisory Council (NAC). These amendments are likely to be placed before a full house of the NAC on December 21. The amendments were adopted by the working group in a recent consultation on the proposed amendments to RTI rules held under the chairpersonship of NAC member Aruna Roy. The meeting was also attended by NAC member Deep Joshi, Dhiraj Srivastava, former CIC Wajahat Habibullah, RTI activist Shekhar Singh, MKSS convenor National Campaign for People's Right to Information (NCPRI) Nikhil Dey and others.

Details of babus' assets can't be made public': DoP

2010-12-17T21:35:00.000-08:00

In a state where every minister is required to file a declaration of their property and liabilities to the chief minister annually, the department of personal (DoP) considers property details and income-tax returns of bureaucrats as personal information and can't be disclosed for public. The state cabinet had taken a decision earlier this year that all ministers in the state will have to file a declaration of their properties to the CM. The DoP stance came through in a reply to an RTI query that was filed by a resident of Jodhpur Dinesh Bothra. Bothra had sought details of all immovable property of officers belonging to the all-India services and working in
Rajasthan, including IAS, IPS and IFS. All these officers, as per service rules,
are required to submit the same to the DoP every year. The RTI query also sought information from the DoP on what action the department had initiated against those all-India service officers who have not filed returns of their income by January 2010 as is mandated by rules of the department. The petitioner also sought information on whether any of these officers have received any gift worth more than Rs 5,000 last year details of which are suppose to intimated to the DoP within a month of receiving the gift.
In its reply dated December 7, the DoP has stated, "The information sought by
you (Bothra) is personal and there is no public interest involved in it and it
is related to third person. Therefore, the information sought under RTI Act-05
Section 8(1) (J), can't be given."

Court's directive to government on RTI

2010-12-17T21:33:00.000-08:00

The Orissa High Court on Thursday admitted a PIL pertaining to casual approach by the Orissa government as well as the Central government in implementing Right to Information (RTI) Act in the State and issued notices to both the governments to file counters within two weeks. Sanjib Kumar Satapathy, a social activist of Kalahandi district, has approached the High Court stating that it was mandatory as per the Act for every public authority to fulfil certain obligations within 120 days from the
enactment of the Act. "Provisions of the Act clearly say that every public authority should suo moto disseminate certain basic information of their organisation to public and shall make constant endeavour to upgrade the information at regular intervals through various means of communications, including Internet," the petitioner says adding that these provision has not been implemented in the State yet.

'Green violations by Tata Steel, L&T were overlooked'

2010-12-17T21:31:00.000-08:00

The environment ministry overlooked green law violations by Tata Steel and Larsen and Toubro (L&T) in their Dharma port project in Orissa, an environmental group said Thursday, quoting from a Right to Information (RTI) reply. Greenpeace obtained file notings of Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on the Dharma project, which has been at the centre of controversy for years due to being adjacent to the Bhitarkanika National Park and Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary. 'The file noting by Jairam Ramesh admits that there is a probable legal violation, but argues in favour of condoning it on the grounds that the port itself is nearing completion,' Greenpeace India's oceans campaign manager Sanjiv Gopal said. 'He (Ramesh) further wrote that had construction not commenced, they could have taken a decision unequivocally not to let the project proceed at the site whose forest status is disputed,' he said. According to the NGO, the revelation was in sharp contradiction to the ministry's strictures against Vedanta, Adarsh Society and Lavasa Corporation.