Sunday, June 24, 2018

RTI applicants miffed with protracted process, allege bribery on part of officials

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.