TNN, Dec 13, 2010,
CHANDIGARH: As the Right To Information Act (RTI) slaves to set the wrongs right by empowering the common man with a look into the bureaucracy's workings, it still remains a hard weapon to use in the corridors of UT administration. For those who've banked on RTI to get information from UT babus, replies like 'file not available' are commonly used. Or else, the application is made to go round and round in circles from one department to the other, with the sole objective to avoid parting with details sought by applicants.
After sitting on an application filed by Vibhor Mohan (application no. jsc47/2010/164) on October 28 for almost a month, the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO), UT architecture wing (administration), department of urban planning, replied on November 23: "The relevant file has been put up to the higher authorities in one case and is not available in the office as on today. Information will be sent to you when the file is received."
No section of the RTI Act has been quoted to justify the alibi by the architecture department in its reply.
In another case, information sought from Finance I branch of UT administration by the same applicant (application no. jsc47/2010/163) on October 28, lands up with the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) of information technology department, who refers it to the office of sub-divisional magistrate (east) on November 19. The CPIO there, in turn, writes to the CPIO of chief architect's office, asking him to provide information directly as all the documents were available with it. (Letter no. CPIO/2010/3632). However, the sought information has still not been supplied. Appeals have been filed with the architecture and finance departments in both these cases by the applicant, but to no avail.
RTI activist RK Garg said, "This way, every CPIO will start taking the plea that the file is not available as information cannot be supplied. Even if it has been put up in some case in the secretariat in the same city, information should have been procured and supplied."
In response to an application by Garg to know the number of electricity connections in the city being issued bills on an average basis, the UT department transferred the case to the private company in charge of supplying power to the area. "The local representative of the company sought Rs 20,000 for processing the application," added Garg. The activist wrote to the firm's New Delhi office, which promptly assured Garg of looking into the matter. "The point is, I still haven't got the information from UT department," said Garg.
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