One question, many answers

Vincent DSouza, TNN, Dec 1, 2010,

HUBLI: When Dr M C Sindhur, a city resident, filed an RTI application, at three different times, never did he know he would get contradictory answers to the same question from the HDMC.

In the first application filed by him on January 13, 2010, asking for a copy of a resolution passed in the HDMC general body meeting for obtaining ISO 9001:2000 certification, he got a reply stating that no resolution was passed to this effect.

But for an another RTI application filed 10 months later on November 23, 2010, asking whether the corporation has the approval of the general body meeting for obtaining ISO certification, the officials, in their reply, replied in the affirmative, saying that they have taken its permission. Former mayor and corporator Veeranna Savadi said approval and resolution passed in the general body meeting means nothing the same.

Meanwhile, this is not the only instance in which HDMC officials have given contradictory replies to the same query. It gave conflicting replies to three different RTI applications filed by the same person to know whether the corporation had taken the opinion or had consulted its legal cell before obtaining ISO certification.

While in the first reply given on January 21, 2010, it says neither the opinion nor report of the legal cell has been taken in this regard, the second reply for another RTI application received on September 16, 2010, says there is no document pertaining to this question in the corporation. But when Sindhur asked the same question for the third time, he got a different reply on November 23, 2010, which says that the corporation had taken the approval of the legal cell, though verbally.

Sindhur feels the HDMC, which has so far spent around Rs 7.50 lakh towards getting the ISO certification, its renewal and auditing, is nothing but a waste of public money. "People had their hopes on an improvement in civic services after the HDMC getting an ISO certification. But the certification, which was bought for a price, has failed to do any good," he added.

HDMC commissioner K V Trilokchandra said since there was no elected body at the time of the corporation obtaining the ISO certification, the then HDMC commissioner P Manivannan, who was also the administrator, had given permission to this effect. He said the administrator is equivalent to a general body. On contradictory replies given under RTI act, he said that might have happened after the questions were wrongly interpreted by the official.