Times
of India: Hubballi: Wednesday, 05 August 2015.
Bus drivers
and conductors of the North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC)
have turned to the Right to Information Act to expose irregularities in the
organization, which has been mired in corruption and allegations of harassment
of workers since its inception in 1997.
The NWKRTC,
which has jurisdiction over six revenue districts, covers 44 taluks and 4596
villages.
BV Shalavadi,
a bus conductor in Gadag division, was instrumental in Lokayukta police nabbing
2-3 ticket checkers. He said the RTI Act has empowered workers to check misuse
of power by officials. "I filed an RTI application to obtain copies of the
working diary and car diary of some officials. The query revealed that on many
days the official was in office, but his car had ran over 150km. I brought it
to the notice of higher-ups in the central office but there was no action.
However, after my RTI application, such officials are maintaining discipline
and proper records," he said.
IF Gaded, a
conductor in Haveri division, said he was kept out of duty for a year without
assigning any reason. "As I had refused to give a monthly bribe of Rs 500
to our superiors, I was punished. Then, I filed an RTI application seeking
details of my service records and demerits, if any. Now, my case is pending in
the court," He told TOI.
Another
conductor, MI Mulla, said he attended workshops on the RTI Act organized by
social organizations and used to read articles and news items in dailies.
"My superiors targeted me for spreading awareness on the RTI Act among my
colleagues. When they transferred me out of the division, I asked details
pertaining to my case. Then I was suspended citing `indiscipline in duty'. Now
I have filed another application to know what my indiscipline was," he
said.
GB Huilgol,
president, NWKRTC Aggrieved Labourers' Association, said only 4-5% of workers
file RTI applications. "Many of them use it for their personal survival in
the corporation, which is not illegal. They have been playing a vital role in
maintaining transparency and increasing accountability among officials. There
are many cases wherein workers were being targeted by officials for filing RTI
applications," he added.
Providing
info is our duty
"Providing
information is our duty. The applicant's background is not important for us.
Whether they are NWKRTC employees or outsiders, we will share information under
purview of the RTI Act. However, I have not come across RTI applications filed
by our workers.
R Vinoth
Priya | managing director and first appellate authority under rti act, nwkrtc
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