Times of India: Thane: Monday, March 12, 2018.
The civic
body has drawn the censure of former Central Information Commissioner Shailesh
Gandhi who has suggested that the administration must be more proactive while
sharing project-related information rather than setting curbs on RTI queries.
The
development comes close on the heels of the municipal administration narrowing
down a list of RTI activists suspecting them to be seeking information with
malafide intentions. In a letter written to municipal commissioner Sanjeev
Jaiswal, Gandhi has suggested that the civic administration becomes more
transparent so that there is very little scope for activists to seek
information under RTI and 'misuse' it.
The former
activist who was part of the National RTI movement which was involved in
drafting the National Act suggested the TMC that they put up information about
every project on website there would be no scope for blackmailers to operate in
the first place as all the data is already in the open. Also, details of the
information sought under any RTI can be highlighted online which, to an extent,
could help curb any mischief, he said.
“I have
written to the commissioner saying that it is the right of every citizen to get
information about the functioning of the corporation and its projects.
Stonewalling information by claiming misuse of information is not right. The
Thane corporation must instead publicize the information sought by every RTI
applicant, which I will, will help curb the menace,” said Gandhi.
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