Applicant awarded Rs 52,000 compensation from information commission

DNA: Mumbai: Tuesday, 03 February 2015.

An applicant was awarded Rs 52,000 compensation from the information commission for his 13 RTI applications to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The compensation was awarded on a single day when all the applications were heard.

Nishant Ghadge, resident of Kurla had filed 13 RTI applications in different wards of the city. The applications were filed to get details about the various road works across the city and the information about the contractors. All of them pertained to eastern suburbs.

"I had sought the information because BMC in 2012-13 and 2013-14 had sanctioned Rs 5,000 crores. Even at the places where no rework was required, they have done that. So I wanted to know which roads they have taken up and which roads were recently done up," said Ghadge, a liasoning officer by profession.

Among other information sought was the kind of work being carried out, what was the money being spent and how much money was paid to them, audit report on the work, information on barricading measures and no objection certificates from the traffic department.

In almost all the applications the public information officer (PIO) did not provide any information. During the first appeal stage, the first appellate authority (FAA) directed the applicant to provide for detail after taking the requisite fees. Fees of Rs 8 to Rs 50 was paid in various applications but the information was still not provided. It was then that second appeals were filed in all applications and they came up for hearing on January 16, which is also when the order was passed by state chief information commissioner, Ratnakar Gaikwad.

Calling the denial of information as something violation of the RTI Act, Gaikwad compensated the applicant with Rs 52,000. These were divided in three compensation of Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 each. Seven application were such where compensation of Rs 1,000 was provided.