Mayor wants rules to reign in RTI activists

Live Law‎‎: New Delhi: Tuesday, June 14, 2016.

Mayor Snehal Ambekar wants rules to be framed to reign in RTI activists. She wants the same to be done to protect the "mental health" of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials.

In a letter to the state information commission, Ambekar, who is from the Shiv Sena, has stated that rules need to be framed to reign in RTI activists. Written on May 7, Ambekar's letter is based on a letter of corporator Javed Juneja of Congress Party. Ironically, the RTI Act had been the flagship Act of the Congress party.

In her letter, Ambekar states that RTI activists are present on the day of "jan sunvai" (public grievance), but seek information on that day even though there is another day designated for the same. Due to this, the "mental health" of officials suffers, she said.

Juneja, who wrote the letter to Ambekar in the capacity of the president of the committees of A, B and E wards which are infamous for the most number of illegal constructions in the city stated that the deeds of RTI activists were affecting the mental framework of officials.

In his letter, Juneja stated that there are different days designated for public grievances and for hearing of RTI applications. "However, even on the days meant for grievances, RTI activists are present among the citizens, sitting in front of officials for hours together. For one complaint, they file 10-12 RTI applications after two days. So the officials lose a lot of time in gathering this information," his letter read.

He stated that the activists usually come from places like Thane and Kalyan. "When the mental framework of officials is spoiled, the other official work they have gets affected... Since they are busy giving replies to RTI activists, they do not even take note of complaints made by corporators on the phone," the letter went on to state.

But slamming the move, Bhaskar Prabhu, an RTI activist, said: "Corporators need to understand that they should urge officials to give out information. Corporators have also been exposed through RTI pleas and that is why they are feeling the burden. No official in India has ever reached a mental hospital due to RTI. In fact, on the other hand, activists have been harassed and killed. Corporators have beaten up officials and that is also on record.

They need to know what is discussed in technical advisory committee meetings and focus on putting up all information online so that RTIs do not have to be filed."

Juneja said, "I did not know that the BMC is supposed to put up all information online." Ambekar did not respond to calls and SMSes. Ratnakar Gaikwad, state chief information commissioner, said, "We do not take cognizance (of letters) unless they are complaints."