RTI activists revive demand for CIC bench

MANOJ MORE : Sun Feb 27 2011,

Pune : Last month, a medical store owner from Chinchwad filed an RTI application with Command Hospital seeking information on tendering process for medicine and other related things. When he got nothing, Kannan Nambiar filed the first appeal with the commandant of the hospital, which was rejected. “I was not given even a hearing,” alleged Nambiar. He sought to file a second appeal and was told to go to New Delhi.

Nambiar went to Delhi and filed his appeal with the Director-General of Armed Forces Medical Services but returned emptyhanded. Nambiar’s experience has yet brought to fore the demand of social activists for a Central Information Commission bench in Mumbai or Pune.

“Why can’t we have a CIC bench in Mumbai or Pune? I would have given up, but I was determined to fight. I took the trouble of going all the way to Delhi,” said Nambiar. “I had to spend over Rs 5,000 and waste six days,” said Nambiar, on whose complaint the CBI had raided the Command Hospital in December.

RTI activists said scores of applicants give up as they have to spend time and money to go to Delhi for hearing RTI appeals. There are nearly 200 central government institutions and defence establishments in Pune including nationalised banks, LIC, income tax, central tax, CBI, ammunition depot, ARDE and the like. The present arrangement includes sending RTI appeals through post.

“These facilities are available at fives places, including the GPO, City post office and Swargate post office. If it is not possible for the applicant to be in Delhi, then a special arrangement is made at the collectorate for a video-conference. But this has not gone down well with applicants who are increasingly shying away from filing second RTI appeals,” said Vijay Kumbhar, president of the Surajya Sangarsh Samiti, which last week sent another appeal to the CIC to set up a bench in Mumbai.

Kumbhar said RTI activists have been pursuing the case with the CIC, but the demand has been rejected on the grounds it would financially burden the government. “We can understand that there cannot be a CIC bench in every city. But they should at least have a bench in a city like Mumbai, which can be made applicable to states like Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa,” he said.

Kumbhar said they have urged social crusader Anna Hazare to revive the demand for a CIC bench in Mumbai. When contacted, Anil Sharma, personal secretary to Hazare, said Hazare would meet President Pratibha Patil in New Delhi on Sunday in connection with Lokpal Bill and the RTI Act implementation. “Anna will raise with the President the issue of a CIC bench in Mumbai. Anna has told the CM to take up the demand with the government.”