DNA; Ashutosh Shukla; Monday, July 25, 2011,
It is not just the common man who has to run around for information. Even members of Parliament have to go through a harrowing ordeal when they seek information from a government department.
Rajya Sabha member Shyam Benegal recently wrote to the building proposal department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on his official letterhead, asking for information about a property off Peddar Road. He did not get the information he had sought till a Right to Information (RTI) application was filed to know the status of his request for information.
He sent the letter to the building proposal department on January 31, 2011. However, he did not get even a basic reply till the Mahiti Adhikar Manch, an NGO, filed an RTI application on his behalf to check the status of his request.
The RTI was filed in May. On May 31, Benegal received a letter with basic details in response to his query. A copy was forwarded to the applicant, Bhaskar Prabhu.
“If this is their attitude towards an MP, one can only guess what they do to ordinary citizens. An MP should have been given preference. The public information officer did not respond and the first appellate authority did not issue the appeal order on time.
Apart from this, there was also contempt of the information commissioner’s order which states that certification fees cannot be charged as per the Evidence Act,” said Prabhu.
When contacted, Benegal, however, downplayed the privilege matter. “I did get a basic reply. I have sought more clarification, which they will send me by Monday. I am more concerned about the response they give than the privileges. I would like to deal with the press after looking at their response and seeing if they are evading replies.”
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