Times of India: Mysuru: Sunday, June 24, 2018.
It is a mite
too hard to escape the irony in the plight of Right To Information (RTI)
applicants in the city, with the tool conceived to combat corruption being
effectively used only after the palms of a few officials in-charge are greased.
RTI applicants in the city are made to run from pillar to post in various
government offices including Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) and Mysuru Urban
Development Authority (Muda) to get access to information that is rightfully
theirs to see.
RTI activists
are understandably miffed with the existing state of affairs, which they
believe subverts the very purpose of the Act. “Citizens are supposed to be
treated as masters under the RTI Act, but instead they are being treated as
servants,” activists said.
Founder of
Mysuru Grahakara Parishat (MGP) Bhamy V Shenoy recalled, with a touch of
amusement, experience that an RTI activist endured, while trying to save the
People’s Park. “The MGP came forward to help this activist, who wanted to
obtain documents about the park to file a public interest litigation (PIL). The
RTI application was submitted on May 16, and since the high court was scheduled
to reopen on May 28, there was a sense of urgency to obtain the records. We wanted
to help MCC save the park, but the lackadaisical attitude of the officials
proved a dampener,” Shenoy told TOI.
Likening the
treatment meted out to RTI applicants at the hands of officers to those of
citizens during the colonial rule, Shenoy added, “An RTI query must be
responded to within 30 days, but that does not mean government offices have to
take up all of them.”
On the other
hand, RTI activist K Ravindra endured a harrowing time at the hands of police,
after he filed a case against the felling of 30 trees, including a sandalwood
tree, at the Mandya police quarters. “When those who are supposed to protect
the law break it, it’s highly unfortunate. Police personnel had not obtained
permission to cut the trees, and they even sold a sandalwood tree. An ensuing
investigation resulted in those responsible for this being fined Rs 60,000.
But, when I approached the office of the Mysuru IGP to file an RTI to learn the
status of the case, my request was shot down on the grounds that it was not in
public interest,” Ravindra said.
He further
added that government officials were very reluctant to furnish information that
could prove to be ‘clinching evidence’ to prove irregularities. “Police
department covers up the mess, and denies information sought by RTI applicants,
by claiming that it is protected under the Official Secrets Act,” Ravindra
rued.
R Dinesh too
endured a similar ordeal, when he filed an RTI query at Muda office to verify
land records. Expressing his outrage at the lax attitude of the officials
concerned in dealing with his query, Dinesh said, “They do not take RTIs
seriously. Even when the records are readily available, they hesitate to make
it available to the citizens quickly. We have to make several trips to the
office concerned, and more often than not, officials are not in their seats,”
he added.
MCC chief
promises swift action
MCC
commissioner KH Jagadish dismissed charges of officials expecting bribes to
clear RTI applications, but promised to look into the delay in addressing these
queries. “Officials do not expect bribes. They fear they will be harassed,
which is why they are afraid of taking up the responsibility of answering RTI
queries,” Jagadish told TOI.
He added that
he would instruct officials to dispose of the RTI applications in a swift
manner, and ensure that citizens would not have to wait 30 days to access the
information they were seeking.