Criminals use RTI to harass cops (RTI digest)

Saturday, June 30, 2012

M Tariq Khan, Hindustan Times
Lucknow, January 30, 2009

First Published: 20:16 IST(30/1/2009)
Last Updated: 01:44 IST(31/1/2009)

Criminals in Uttar Pradesh have discovered a unique weapon for taking on the cop – the Right To Information (RTI) Act. They are not only using the Act to know the status of the cases against themselves, but also to cause embarrassment by seeking information on the facilities available in jails or some such uncomfortable matters. Take the case of Kushahar Saurabh, Superintendent of Police, Rural Area, in Moradabad. He has been slapped a Rs 25,000 fine for not responding to Salim Baig – accused in a cow slaughter case – seeking information on the progress made in the police recruitment scam case.
Obviously, the cops allowed the matter to linger. Baig complained and the Public Information Officer (PIO), monitoring RTI applications, imposed the fine. Although Saurabh later managed to obtain a stay in the case, Baig made his point.
Senior police officials admitted that the trend was gaining ground. “We have received five applications in January alone,” said a senior administrator at the Lucknow jail requesting anonymity.
In Agra and adjoining districts the trend, according to Senior Superintendent of Police Prem Prakash, picked up in 2008. However, police officers attributed it to the campaigns by the human rights groups.
Agreed state chief information commissioner Gyanendra Sharma. He felt that those conversant with the RTI would continue to outsmart the ignorant as it is very easy to agree than to deny information under the Act.
He said, “The PIOs, the police and some government departments also are not well versed in the methods of handling such applications. Though there are certain grounds (see box) on which the information can be denied, it cannot be invoked indiscriminately.”
But advocate Ajay Singh pointed out, “You cannot deny information to a person simply because he has a shady track record. Any citizen can seek information under the Act irrespective of whether it concerns him/her or not.”
(With inputs from Bhavna Wal (Agra) B.K. Singh (Allahabad) and Rohit K. Singh (Lucknow)

Information that can be denied
Which may endanger national security.
Which may endanger the life of a person.
Which may affect investigation, arrest or prosecution.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/372822.aspx

© Copyright © 2012 HT Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

M Tariq Khan
Lucknow, July 05, 2006

First Published: 01:24 IST(6/7/2006)
Last Updated: 01:24 IST(6/7/2006)

More hurdles: Depts yet to have PIOs

EVEN AS HT’s Drive against Bribe campaign is going a long way inspiring and motivating people to get the information they require and jobs done by exercising their right to information, the government departments are simply not cooperating. They are not appointing Public Information Officers (PIOs) to receive complaints from the common man. Caught in the dark tunnel are people knocking at the doors of the KGMU, the SSP’s office, Regional Passport Office, the various caste commissions, nationalised banks and the seat of governance, the secretariat, in the hope of getting the needful done.
Take the case of Prashant Gupta, a resident of 3/417 Vikas Nagar. Eager to pursue higher studies in Australia, Prashant has to clear TOFEL (Test Of English as Foreign Language) for which he needs a passport. Consequently, he applied for one on February 17 and was told by the Regional Passport Office staff that at the most it would take three months to deliver the passport.
“When nothing happened I approached the RPO and was told that my LIU clearance was awaited following which I went to the LIU office in Jawahar Bhawan, where a sub-inspector demanded Rs 1,000 from me for submitting the necessary report,” he said. On Wednesday, Prashant went to the RPO to seek a reply on the issue under the RTIA but was told that the office did have a PIO. I then met PRO BB Arya, who too refused to entertain my application, He merely scribbled on the counterfoil that I was given when I had submitted my passport application form, said Prashant.
Like Prashant, Raj Kumar Verma, a resident of 542/12 Naya Haiderganj, too was turned away from the SSP Lucknow’s office as a PIO to receive such applications is yet to be appointed there too.
“We had met principal secretary administrative reforms GP Verma and pointed out the problems being faced by the citizens in gaining entry to the departments in the secretariat but no corrective steps have been taken,” lamented Arundhati, of a self-help group supervising the RTIA camp here.
She said majority of those who came to the camp at Bhimrao Ambedkar Mahasabha Office on Vidhan Sabha Marg described this hurdle as the main deterrence that prevented them from submitting their applications. “We would now be petitioning the Chief Information Commissioner at the Centre and his representative in the State urging them to issue mandatory directives to all government departments to appoint PIOs and accept Rs 10 fee in cash against peoples applications,” said Shailendra another trained volunteer at the camp.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/117528.aspx

© Copyright © 2012 HT Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

M Tariq Khan
Lucknow, July 03, 2006

First Published: 01:09 IST(4/7/2006)
Last Updated: 01:09 IST(4/7/2006)

CM to lay foundation of Soochna Bhawan

SIX MONTHS after it came into existence, the chief information commissioner of the State still does not have a proper office and staff of his own. The wait, however, appears would be over soon as Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav is all set to lay the foundation stone of a full-fledged ‘Soochna Bhawan’ in the State capital shortly. According to sources, officers of the information department, the district administration and the LDA are working out the modalities of the plan.
“In fact, the UP Rajkiye Nirman Nigam has already been given Rs 16 crore towards construction of the building that would house the office of the CIC,” said an official.
The proposed office complex would be located on BN Road just behind the Sahkarita Bhawan building on approximately 1.5 acre of land to be provided by the LDA. An offer letter
in this connection has already been sent to the State Government by the LDA.
“We are just awaiting a convenient date from the CM for the foundation laying ceremony,” said a source in the information department. According to him, the CM has also finalised the names of six people to be nominated as members on the commission’s panel.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/116727.aspx

© Copyright © 2012 HT Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

M Tariq Khan, PTI
January 01, 0001

First Published: 00:17 IST(6/1/2006)
Last Updated: 00:17 IST(6/1/2006)

Right to Information? LDA says... my foot!

IF YOU think that the Right to Information Act (RTI) has provided you with the freedom to secure access to information under the control of public authorities, consistent with public interest try asking LDA. The development agency it appears is still to come to terms with the idea of sharing information with the citizens. Not even if the information being sought is consistent with public interest. To test the efficacy of the Act that came into force on October 12, 2005, HT Lucknow Live posed three questions to the civic body last week on issues that not only affect the city at large but also come under public domain. After mulling the queries for over a week, mandarins at the LDA rejected all the three applications stating that the information was either unavailable or never gathered in the context in which it was sought.
Sample this. The LDA was asked how many completion certificates were issued by it to the commercial complexes in the past year? For the uninitiated, the development body is supposed to provide completion certificate to buildings in order to ensure that the construction has been done in accordance with the building plan approved by it.
Here’s the response of the city’s development regulator. “In response to your query about the number of completion certificates issued to commercial complexes in the city in the year 2005, we would like to inform you that this information is comparative and is not compiled by the department. Hence it would not be possible to provide the same,” states the reply signed by assistant Public Information Officer of LDA Uma Shankar Singh. If you cannot make a head or tail of it, forget it, neither could we.
The second question related to the number of plots allotted to people’s representatives and bureaucrats by the department in the last one-year? The answer: “We do not allot plots to individuals on the basis of their vocation. Nor do we seek any such information from the applicant in our application form.”
Pray, how then did the department went public with a long list of names of bureaucrats and politicians who were allotted plots in a similar manner by previous regimes immediately after the controversial Vipul Khand plot allotment issue hit the headlines.
Lastly, the development agency was asked about the number and kind of land uses of Master Plan 2001 were changed by it in the Master Plan 2021 of the city?
“The information sought is available in the Master Plan booklet, which is available in the LDA store and can be purchased from there,” was the only coherent reply furnished by the agency. It is evident from the LDA’s behavior that the RTI remains a stillborn baby and that it would take a long time for authorities in charge to get used to sharing information/documents with the citizens.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/36165.aspx 

Saturday, June 30, 2012

M. Tariq Khan, Hindustan Times
Lucknow, November 16, 2007

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First Published: 01:54 IST(16/11/2007)
Last Updated: 01:56 IST(16/11/2007)

Maya pet plan in RTI line of fire

A Right To Information application over a high-profile project has put the UP government and the state chief information commissioner (CIC) on collision course. What has annoyed the CIC is the denial of information about Chief Minister Mayawati’s pet Ambedkar Smarak project in Lucknow’s Gomti Nagar despite a panel directive. CIC Justice (retired) M.A. Khan has threatened to hand over the matter to the CBI if the state refused to comply with his order to provide information on the multi-crore project.
He issued a notice to Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh on Thursday to personally appear before the commission on December 12 to explain why information sought by RTI applicant Shailendra Singh was not provided to him.
“LDA’s (Lucknow Development Authority) public information officer says the monument being
built is akin to the Taj Mahal. Would there be two Taj Mahals now? To which one would the tourists go first, the one at Lucknow or the one at Agra,” he asked.
Chief Secretary P.K. Mishra, who was to appear before the commission on Thursday, moved an application seeking exemption from personal appearance. His counsel claimed Mishra had no say in government matters.
The LDA, which is the nodal agency for developing the Ambedkar Smarak project, gave the petitioner a four-page response. But Singh has rubbished it, saying the information was cursory and an attempt to hoodwink the commission.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/257995.aspx

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