DNA:
Mumbai: Saturday, 28 March 2015.
There is finally some time-bound pressure on the state government to
provide information on MLA funds, with its suo motu initiative regarding the
same moving at a snail's pace and yet to bear fruit. The state information
commission has directed the state government to provide details of these funds
on a website within three months.
An order passed by Ajit Kumar Jain, state information commissioner
(Brihanmumbai bench), on Wednesday directs the development planning
commissioner to put up all such details. Once up, citizens will be able to view
the exact amount spent by their elected representative and the work on which it
was spent. This will also mean that citizens won't have to file RTIs to get
these details.
The order was given on an application by Natarajan Krishnamurthy, a
Ghatkopar resident. In his application, he had sought details of local area
development funds spent in the constituency by local MLA Prakash Mehta.
The public information officer (PIO) did not give satisfactory information.
At the first appeal stage, no proper information was received. During the
second appeal, the commission stated that as per sections that pertain with suo
motu disclosure, the government should put up the information and in the format
in which the applicant wanted it.
dna in its December 29 edition had written about the
government's reply to RTI activist Vihar Durve, that all such information will
be available online. The reply then had also provided web address
http://www.mahasdb.Maharasthra.gov.in/MLALADS for the same. However, the site
does not open.
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