DES scoffs at students’ RTI query on parking issue; says it’s above Act

Pune Mirror: Pune: Monday, 07 July 2014.

DES turns down student group's query on admin-parking nexus, claims it's not bound by RTI.

Nearly a decade after its implementation and its nationwide success thereon, the Deccan Education Society (DES) has chosen to put itself above the diktats of the Centre. In a Right to Information (RTI) query put forth by a group of Fergusson College (FC) students to understand the network that controls its malfunctioning parking, DES categorically issued a statement that it was 'above the Act'.

Given its now-celebrated parking problem, highlighted by this newspaper on February 14, 2014, in 'FC students take on pay-and-park mess', and the college administration's laidback approach towards finding any remedy, a group of young men from the college have come together to seek solutions and the first step towards that is to understand the details of the contract between the college authorities and the parking service providers. But given DES's reluctance to offer the same, it is now gearing up to approach the University of Pune's (UoP) Vice Chancellor.

Fergussonians have been victims of irregularities in the pay-park facility on campus for some time now the charges are not uniform, those responsible for the collections are known to have been rude and often disrespectful of women on campus. Girl students are often faced with undignified objectification here. Besides this, vehicles are routinely damaged or stolen.

The group, started by Saif Mohammad, a TYBA student, and Kamlesh Sonawane, a post graduate student, has now burgeoned to a neat number of ten. Their aim is to fight irregularities in this space. The RTI application was filed by them in February, 2014, for details of the contract between the DES, which runs FC, and the parking contractor. The reply, in March 2014 shocked them.

It stated: "The Deccan Education Society is not covered under the Right To Information (RTI) Act 2005 (As per the citation of Hon'ble Karnataka High Court - AIR 2008 Karnataka 149)". When posed with a query on the issue, all Anant Bhide, secretary of the DES, had to offer was, "Whatever we have stated in the reply is true." He wasn't willing to be probed further. City RTI activists are incensed at DES's stance. Said noted RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar, "Many organisations are known to escape their duty of providing information.

They pick court judgments convenient for their situation and manage to get away." Matin Mujawar, another RTI activist, said, "If an institute is taking services from the government, it is covered under the Act, and DES is not exempt from this as it runs educational institutes for which land, electricity, salary and non-salary grants etc are received from the government." Saif Mohammad, one of the main voices of the group, said, "We are tired of pursuing this matter with the college administration which is not responding to our queries.

The parking charges continue to vary every day. When a student asked why parking was not free as is the norm in other colleges, he was told that he can get the freebie once his bike is damaged.

This attitude scares junior college students." Students are currently paying Rs 6 for two-wheeler and Rs 10 for four-wheeler parking. "This is just a one-time charge, which is hiked when we go out and come back the same day.

There needs to be a movement to put a stop to this," said Chandradeo Singh, an SYBSc student. Students from overseas are the more tortured lot, as Ramiz Yousifi, a TYBA Afghan student said, "Once they know learn we are foreign nationals, they levy random charges and do not even bother to issue receipts. If we protest, they ridicule us." Awani Wele is one of the many girls who has been a victim of rude jibes at the hands of the men manning the parking lot. She said, "There needs to be only one attendant here but there are always more than four people.

They treat this place like a katta and girls are subjected to lascivious glances and obscene comments." Students have started a Facebook page, titled 'No-parking Charges' two days ago, which has received around 200 likes.

Dr Pandit Shelke, director, of Board of Students' Welfare, UoP, said, "An educational institution is expected to provide supporting facilities to its students, parking being one of them. A minimal charge needs to be fixed; if the students complain, we can take action."