Times of India: Hyderabad: Wednesday, August 02, 2017.
The officials
of the Telangana State Waqf Board appear unwilling to furnish information
sought under the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
RTI activist
Kareem Ansari, who is associated with the non-government organisation Yugantar,
recently sought data from the board.In a list of six questions, Ansari, who is
a resident of Shaheen Nagar, asked how many dargahs exist in the Balapur mandal
in Ranga Reddy district. He also sought to know when the last waqf land parcel
survey was done and asked for a copy of the report. To his dismay, information
was refused as the public information officer wanted the activist to furnish
the `file number'.
"The
public information officer, in his response, said that my application has been
rejected. The reason cited is that the file number and the name of the institu
tion are required. I have asked for basic information.How is it possible for me
to know the file number? This is a tactic to evade the questions which I have
asked," Ansari claimed.
The other
questions in his RTI query include whether the board receives revenue from
waqf-registered institutions in the Balapur mandal and also details of
encroachments in the area.
Other
activists pointed out that this is not the first time that the State Waqf Board
has declined to respond to requests for information.According to activist M A
Akram, the board made him run around in circles before giving him information.
"Declining
to provide basic information is not a new thing. The board employees speak
rudely to us when we seek information.This shows that they are not
cooperative," he said.
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