The
Hindu: Chennai: Wednesday, 24 February 2016.
Data
pertaining to nine key departments to be made available; encouraging move, say
residents.
Soon, details
pertaining to infrastructure projects and public services will not be confined
to official records, stored away in inaccessible citadels of power. They will
be placed in the public domain, an initiative that promises to bring about
greater transparency.
The Greater
Chennai Corporation has finally decided to put in the public domain matters
pertaining to the functioning of nine key departments that play a major role in
the local administration of the city.
These
departments are: Family Welfare, Health, Revenue, Solid Waste Management, Parks
and Playfields, Works and Town Planning, Electrical Department, Buildings and
Storm Water Drains.
Considering
the fact that inquiries under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by residents
do not elicit sufficient information from the departments concerned, this move
is surprising and even encouraging, say residents. “The decision is expected to
help residents assess the real cause of the civic problems. The Corporation
should also give information about cost overruns,” said V.S. Jayaraman, a
resident of T. Nagar.
Greater
Chennai Corporation Deputy Commissioner (Revenue and Finance) T.G. Vinay has
requested the heads of the nine departments to update the citizens’ charter
with complete information about the projects they are handling, including
payment of bills, for finishing works. Civic development works to the tune of
Rs.2,000 crore are implemented every year and activists allege malpractices in
some of the works. Many residents plan to use the data to conduct social audit
of civic works.
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