Chennai Corporation spent Rs 50 cr on advertisements
[ Date : Mar 10th, 2011 ]
The Chennai Corporation has spent a Rs 50 crore in the last five years towards advertisement cost. This included tenders, and repeated tenders, as contractors failed to show up in the initial rounds due to rise in prices of construction items. The administration, however, said the increased spend on advertisements reflected its increased infrastructure development.
In its reply to the city-based RTI activist V Gopalakrishnan, the local body said Rs 17 crore was spent towards advertisement charges in 2008-2009. The expenditure was Rs 14.8 crore in 2007-2008. In the previous two fiscals, it spent Rs 13 crore. At the end of its last fiscal of its previous term, the AIADMK-led elected council managed spent only Rs 1.35 crore under this head.
The RTI reply said the department availed only budgetary allocations. The civic budget has a separate provision for advertisement charges and the council had cleared the expenses every year. “It only proves the fact that infrastructure development has really taken place,” a senior official said.
One of the probable reasons for the increased expenditure on advertisements is the poor response from contractors for several projects, forcing the corporation to repeat tender advertisements. Contractors had stayed away from work after price of construction materials increased in 2007. There were instances, when the civic body had to issue more than five tenders for a project, for want of contractors. If an automated parking system at Broadway terminus demanded four calls, modernization of Perambur abattoir required several more calls.
The local body is relying heavily on property tax collection this fiscal to meet expenses arising out of the sixth pay commission recommendations. The budgetary provisions for this year show that a Rs 510 crore is required for implementing pay commission recommendations to hundreds of civic staff, even as the revenue department is likely to raise only Rs 410 crore under the property tax head. The agency is now eyeing external funding agencies for loans for various works.
Sources said Rs 1,378.4 crore worth development works had taken place during the last five years. “It is sad that a large part of the money is used for advertisements, when allotment for basic services for urban poor got cancelled” said A Subramani, a CPI councillor. This is because; many beneficiaries could not shell out their share of cost to construct a tiny house.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
RTI activists see red in info commissioners' appointment
RTI activists see red in info commissioners' appointment
Wednesday, 03.02.2011, (GMT+5.5)
Chennai: RTI activists are angry with the state government for having appointed three commissioners to the Tamil Nadu Information Commission just before the model code of conduct came into force, with zero transparency.
The government announced the appointments on Tuesday, hours before the election commission announced the poll date. Already, the appointment of former chief secretary KS Sripathi as the chief information commissioner is in a legal tangle after RTI activists alleging that there was no transperancy in the appointment process.
The appointment of Dr PA Ramiah, C Manoharan and Arumuga Nainar as the new information commissioners in the existing vacancy on Monday came as a surprise to many RTI groups and activists who have been urging the government to maintain transparency.
"Section 15 of RTI Act says any person of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology, social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance is eligible to apply for the post. We have been asking the government to issue newspaper advertisements calling for applications, shortlist the names and then go for selection. We want the government to clarify how the three commissioners came to know of filling up of the vacancies and applied for it,'' said V Gopalakrishnan, an RTI activist who was arrested for staging a demonstration in front of Raj Bhavan demanding transperancy in the appointment of chief information commissioner KS Sripathi in September last.
"Information commission is the place from where transparency should begin, but it is unfortunate that the appointments to such a commission is being made in a secret manner. This reduces the appointments to political in the eyes of the public. We, along with several other RTI groups, will convene a meeting this week to oppose this,'' said G Balaji of Public Awareness Campaign Energy Trust, Thirumangalam.
While the selection committee includes the chief minister, Opposition leader and a minister deputed by the chief minister, the decision of appointing the three commissioners was taken by chief minister M Karunanidhi and finance minister K Anbazhagan, in the absence of Opposition leader J Jayalalithaa.
"We don't question the government prerogative in selecting the commissioners, but want to point out that a proper interpretation of Section 15 of RTI Act can only be taken as there must be unanimity in the selection committee in the appointments and there is no question of majority opinion in it. When there are only three persons in a committee and two of them belong to the ruling party, it can only be the decision of the ruling party,'' said Anti-Corruption Movement state general secretary SM Arasu.
Wednesday, 03.02.2011, (GMT+5.5)
Chennai: RTI activists are angry with the state government for having appointed three commissioners to the Tamil Nadu Information Commission just before the model code of conduct came into force, with zero transparency.
The government announced the appointments on Tuesday, hours before the election commission announced the poll date. Already, the appointment of former chief secretary KS Sripathi as the chief information commissioner is in a legal tangle after RTI activists alleging that there was no transperancy in the appointment process.
The appointment of Dr PA Ramiah, C Manoharan and Arumuga Nainar as the new information commissioners in the existing vacancy on Monday came as a surprise to many RTI groups and activists who have been urging the government to maintain transparency.
"Section 15 of RTI Act says any person of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology, social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance is eligible to apply for the post. We have been asking the government to issue newspaper advertisements calling for applications, shortlist the names and then go for selection. We want the government to clarify how the three commissioners came to know of filling up of the vacancies and applied for it,'' said V Gopalakrishnan, an RTI activist who was arrested for staging a demonstration in front of Raj Bhavan demanding transperancy in the appointment of chief information commissioner KS Sripathi in September last.
"Information commission is the place from where transparency should begin, but it is unfortunate that the appointments to such a commission is being made in a secret manner. This reduces the appointments to political in the eyes of the public. We, along with several other RTI groups, will convene a meeting this week to oppose this,'' said G Balaji of Public Awareness Campaign Energy Trust, Thirumangalam.
While the selection committee includes the chief minister, Opposition leader and a minister deputed by the chief minister, the decision of appointing the three commissioners was taken by chief minister M Karunanidhi and finance minister K Anbazhagan, in the absence of Opposition leader J Jayalalithaa.
"We don't question the government prerogative in selecting the commissioners, but want to point out that a proper interpretation of Section 15 of RTI Act can only be taken as there must be unanimity in the selection committee in the appointments and there is no question of majority opinion in it. When there are only three persons in a committee and two of them belong to the ruling party, it can only be the decision of the ruling party,'' said Anti-Corruption Movement state general secretary SM Arasu.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
RTI activists peeved at ‘selective revelations’
RTI activists peeved at ‘selective revelations’
Jeeva, TNN, Nov 19, 2010, 03.42am IST
CHENNAI: Y Aruldoss, a right to information (RTI) activist in Ayanavaram, was aghast when he received an order from the Tamil Nadu State Information Commission last week saying he could not ask for details affecting the functioning of a public authority. The commission, in the order, also advised him to ask for only the "required information".
He was understandably agitated because the RTI Act does not limit the number of queries that can be raised in an application. The applicant had filed an appeal with the commission after the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) had failed to reply to 10 of 42 queries about slum eviction in the city.
"The TNSCB denied me the details by misrepresenting section 7(9) of the Act. I moved the commission asking it to direct the board to disclose the complete information I had sought. But the commission passed the order which only goes against the spirit of the law. The commission did not even mention the legal provision under which it upheld the rejection of my application,'' said Aruldoss, who is also the youth coordinator of National Alliance of People's Movement, which has been working for the cause of slum-dwellers.
The commission passed a similar order last week to another RTI application, which he had filed with the Public Works Department relating to slum eviction and construction of elevated highways in Chennai. V Gopalakrishnan, another RTI activist in KK Nagar, has the same complaint. "I wanted a reply from the revenue authorities to seven queries about the distribution of flood relief of `2,000 per family in nine residential colonies in my area in 2008, but I did not get the reply. I moved the commission, which in turn said I should ask only limited information under the RTI Act,'' Gopalakrishnan said. He then moved the commission for a second time, seeking a full-bench hearing. He said the appeal has been pending for over a year now.
Many RTI campaigners pointed out that several public authorities reject applications by wrongly interpreting section 7(9), which says that "an information shall ordinarily be provided in the form in which it is sought unless it would disproportionately divert the resources of the public authority or would be detrimental to the safety or preservation of the record in question."
Jeeva, TNN, Nov 19, 2010, 03.42am IST
CHENNAI: Y Aruldoss, a right to information (RTI) activist in Ayanavaram, was aghast when he received an order from the Tamil Nadu State Information Commission last week saying he could not ask for details affecting the functioning of a public authority. The commission, in the order, also advised him to ask for only the "required information".
He was understandably agitated because the RTI Act does not limit the number of queries that can be raised in an application. The applicant had filed an appeal with the commission after the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) had failed to reply to 10 of 42 queries about slum eviction in the city.
"The TNSCB denied me the details by misrepresenting section 7(9) of the Act. I moved the commission asking it to direct the board to disclose the complete information I had sought. But the commission passed the order which only goes against the spirit of the law. The commission did not even mention the legal provision under which it upheld the rejection of my application,'' said Aruldoss, who is also the youth coordinator of National Alliance of People's Movement, which has been working for the cause of slum-dwellers.
The commission passed a similar order last week to another RTI application, which he had filed with the Public Works Department relating to slum eviction and construction of elevated highways in Chennai. V Gopalakrishnan, another RTI activist in KK Nagar, has the same complaint. "I wanted a reply from the revenue authorities to seven queries about the distribution of flood relief of `2,000 per family in nine residential colonies in my area in 2008, but I did not get the reply. I moved the commission, which in turn said I should ask only limited information under the RTI Act,'' Gopalakrishnan said. He then moved the commission for a second time, seeking a full-bench hearing. He said the appeal has been pending for over a year now.
Many RTI campaigners pointed out that several public authorities reject applications by wrongly interpreting section 7(9), which says that "an information shall ordinarily be provided in the form in which it is sought unless it would disproportionately divert the resources of the public authority or would be detrimental to the safety or preservation of the record in question."
Vendors cashing in on shortage of stamp paper
Vendors cashing in on shortage of stamp paper
Jeeva, TNN, Oct 22, 2010, 02.59am IST
CHENNAI: Thangaraj, a resident of Thirumangalam, has not been able to prepare the rental agreement for his tenant for over three weeks now, for want of a stamp paper. Although he approached several stamp vendors in the city, he was unable to procure the commodity.
Shortage of stamp papers, particularly in the denomination of Rs 10, Rs 20 and Rs 50, has been affecting the execution of agreements and filing of affidavits in various tribunals in the city now. Consequently, many stamp vendors sell papers for 10% to 20% more than the face value.
"The shortage has been acute since the beginning of this month. Only on Monday, we could buy the Rs 100 stamp paper, but still we are unable to buy papers of lower denominations," said advocate P Venugopal, practising in the Madras high court. Many lawyers said they needed to keep a stock of stamp papers for their business needs, to execute various different kinds of agreements and affidavits in judicial forums like Intellectual Property Appellate Tribunal and to get certified order copies. However, they are struggling to acquire the papers.
Besides, there are complaints that licensed vendors are selling stamp papers and court fee stamps for more than the value printed on them, even if there is no shortage. "If we want to buy ten court fee stamps of Rs 10 each, the vendors charge Rs 120 instead of Rs 100. I have already complained to the authorities. Action should be taken against the violators. The state government should consider selling stamp papers and court fee stamps through banks and post offices so that there won't be any opportunity for such complaints,'' said V Gopalakrishnan, a Right to Information ( RTI) activist and resident of KK Nagar.
Officials at the district treasury office in Broadway said they had to source the stamp paper from Nasik and Hyderabad and there was some delay in receiving the stock. "The papers have just been delivered and we are in the process of distributing them," treasury officials said.
On complaints against licensed stamp vendors for charging a higher rate, Inspector General of Registration, D Sabitha told The Times of India that stamp vendors were getting the papers at a discount and they should not be selling it for more than the face value. "People can complain about such irregularities. Even if there is no evidence to support their complaints, we will still warn the vendors that such violations will lead to their licence being revoked,'' Sabitha said.
Jeeva, TNN, Oct 22, 2010, 02.59am IST
CHENNAI: Thangaraj, a resident of Thirumangalam, has not been able to prepare the rental agreement for his tenant for over three weeks now, for want of a stamp paper. Although he approached several stamp vendors in the city, he was unable to procure the commodity.
Shortage of stamp papers, particularly in the denomination of Rs 10, Rs 20 and Rs 50, has been affecting the execution of agreements and filing of affidavits in various tribunals in the city now. Consequently, many stamp vendors sell papers for 10% to 20% more than the face value.
"The shortage has been acute since the beginning of this month. Only on Monday, we could buy the Rs 100 stamp paper, but still we are unable to buy papers of lower denominations," said advocate P Venugopal, practising in the Madras high court. Many lawyers said they needed to keep a stock of stamp papers for their business needs, to execute various different kinds of agreements and affidavits in judicial forums like Intellectual Property Appellate Tribunal and to get certified order copies. However, they are struggling to acquire the papers.
Besides, there are complaints that licensed vendors are selling stamp papers and court fee stamps for more than the value printed on them, even if there is no shortage. "If we want to buy ten court fee stamps of Rs 10 each, the vendors charge Rs 120 instead of Rs 100. I have already complained to the authorities. Action should be taken against the violators. The state government should consider selling stamp papers and court fee stamps through banks and post offices so that there won't be any opportunity for such complaints,'' said V Gopalakrishnan, a Right to Information ( RTI) activist and resident of KK Nagar.
Officials at the district treasury office in Broadway said they had to source the stamp paper from Nasik and Hyderabad and there was some delay in receiving the stock. "The papers have just been delivered and we are in the process of distributing them," treasury officials said.
On complaints against licensed stamp vendors for charging a higher rate, Inspector General of Registration, D Sabitha told The Times of India that stamp vendors were getting the papers at a discount and they should not be selling it for more than the face value. "People can complain about such irregularities. Even if there is no evidence to support their complaints, we will still warn the vendors that such violations will lead to their licence being revoked,'' Sabitha said.
RTI cases pile up, state yet to panel vacancies
RTI cases pile up, state yet to panel vacancies
November 1st, 2010
DC Correspondent
Chennai, Oct. 31: Seven posts of state information commissioner are vacant in the Tamil Nadu Information Commission despite a large backlog of RTI applications.
With the passing away of T.R. Ramasamy and retirement of S. Ramakrishnan, the commission has only three commissioners in R. Perumalsamy, T. Srinivasan and Sarada Nambi Arooran. State chief information commissioner K.S. Sripathy heads the commission.
Of the 10 sanctioned posts of information commissioner, only five have been filled since the creation of the commission.
The government has not filled the seven other posts, despite large pendency of RTI appeals with the commission.
RTI activist R. Gopalakrishnan said that with the increasing pendency of the cases, the work burden of the commissioners increases and it also affects their performance. He said the government should immediately take steps to fill up the vacant posts without any further delay. “Rather than filling up the post with retired bureaucrats, the government should give opportunities to RTI activists,” he said. FACT India general secretary T. Retna Pandian said that with appointment of bureaucrats as commissioners, RTI applicants are being denied information by the commission.
He said that now the commission has become defunct with the cases taking years to be heard by the commissioners.
November 1st, 2010
DC Correspondent
Chennai, Oct. 31: Seven posts of state information commissioner are vacant in the Tamil Nadu Information Commission despite a large backlog of RTI applications.
With the passing away of T.R. Ramasamy and retirement of S. Ramakrishnan, the commission has only three commissioners in R. Perumalsamy, T. Srinivasan and Sarada Nambi Arooran. State chief information commissioner K.S. Sripathy heads the commission.
Of the 10 sanctioned posts of information commissioner, only five have been filled since the creation of the commission.
The government has not filled the seven other posts, despite large pendency of RTI appeals with the commission.
RTI activist R. Gopalakrishnan said that with the increasing pendency of the cases, the work burden of the commissioners increases and it also affects their performance. He said the government should immediately take steps to fill up the vacant posts without any further delay. “Rather than filling up the post with retired bureaucrats, the government should give opportunities to RTI activists,” he said. FACT India general secretary T. Retna Pandian said that with appointment of bureaucrats as commissioners, RTI applicants are being denied information by the commission.
He said that now the commission has become defunct with the cases taking years to be heard by the commissioners.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Complaints pour in on old-age pension
Complaints pour in on old-age pension
18 Sep, 2010 0357hrs IST TNN[ Julie Mariappan ]
CHENNAI: Every morning for over a week recently, 80-year-old Panjatsaram Ammal had visited the Mambalam-Guindy taluk office on Jawaharlal Nehru Salai.
The resident of Nehru Nagar in Guindy, who had been getting the old-age pension of the state government every month since 1976, hadn't got the sum of Rs 400 for August. "Till a week ago, the postman kept telling me my pension had not been disbursed. The taluk officials say they disbursed the sum. Who is correct? Will I get the money?" she wondered.
She wasn't the only one. P Chandra of K K Nagar, Banu of Saidapet, K Jaya Ammal of T Nagar, Karuppannan and Ulagammal of Kannamapet had similar tales of woe. All claimed they had been getting the money reguraly and had proof.
Said P Chandra : "The taluk officials confirmed the disbursement but I haven't got it. I even shell out Rs 20 to the postman," she said. With two grand-daughters to care for, Chandra, a cobbler, struggles to make ends meet.
Social activists say a few corrupt postal staff are to blame. "This kind of exploitation happens in all taluk offices. The pensioners are forced to give Rs 20 to the postman concerned," said V Gopalakrishnan of Fact India.
Chennai collector V Shobana pleaded ignorance of the issue. "This is the first time, I'm getting to know of such a thing. The postal department staff will be enquired," she told TOI. The revenue department pays pensions to 2.43 lakh people in Chennai under various heads.
Chennai Post Master General M S Ramanujan told TOI that many of the beneficiaries were not genuine. "We asked the revenue secretary to check the mechanism of identifying the genuineness of beneficiaries. At least 3% of the amount is transferred back to the exchequer every month due to the address being incorrect or the beneficary having died. Genuine beneficiaries will be paid," he said.
Eight postmen were suspended in the city recently on charges of extracting money from pensioners and making payment for the deceased, he added.
18 Sep, 2010 0357hrs IST TNN[ Julie Mariappan ]
CHENNAI: Every morning for over a week recently, 80-year-old Panjatsaram Ammal had visited the Mambalam-Guindy taluk office on Jawaharlal Nehru Salai.
The resident of Nehru Nagar in Guindy, who had been getting the old-age pension of the state government every month since 1976, hadn't got the sum of Rs 400 for August. "Till a week ago, the postman kept telling me my pension had not been disbursed. The taluk officials say they disbursed the sum. Who is correct? Will I get the money?" she wondered.
She wasn't the only one. P Chandra of K K Nagar, Banu of Saidapet, K Jaya Ammal of T Nagar, Karuppannan and Ulagammal of Kannamapet had similar tales of woe. All claimed they had been getting the money reguraly and had proof.
Said P Chandra : "The taluk officials confirmed the disbursement but I haven't got it. I even shell out Rs 20 to the postman," she said. With two grand-daughters to care for, Chandra, a cobbler, struggles to make ends meet.
Social activists say a few corrupt postal staff are to blame. "This kind of exploitation happens in all taluk offices. The pensioners are forced to give Rs 20 to the postman concerned," said V Gopalakrishnan of Fact India.
Chennai collector V Shobana pleaded ignorance of the issue. "This is the first time, I'm getting to know of such a thing. The postal department staff will be enquired," she told TOI. The revenue department pays pensions to 2.43 lakh people in Chennai under various heads.
Chennai Post Master General M S Ramanujan told TOI that many of the beneficiaries were not genuine. "We asked the revenue secretary to check the mechanism of identifying the genuineness of beneficiaries. At least 3% of the amount is transferred back to the exchequer every month due to the address being incorrect or the beneficary having died. Genuine beneficiaries will be paid," he said.
Eight postmen were suspended in the city recently on charges of extracting money from pensioners and making payment for the deceased, he added.
RUSH WITH DANGER COST OF TRUTH
BRUSH WITH DANGER COST OF TRUTH
indian express
FILING an ap plication un der the Right to Infor ma tion (RTI) Act is a piece of cake. Pay Rs 10 for a form, fill up, submit it and wait for the outcome keeping your fingers crossed. You may stumble into a goldmine of information. Or landmine.
The goldmine may make you smile and the government squirm, but it's not easy to negotiate a landmine as V Balasubramanian (68), a resident of Nayakanpettai in Kanchee puram district, found out.
He used the RTI tool to ferret out information on five weaver's cooperative societies in his district and found massive misappropriation of funds. The news made him an instant celebrity in the locality as he was seen as a whistleblower, but for those who wanted to put a lid on the scam, he was bad news and had to be gagged. On August 19 last, Balasubramanian was silenced forever.
The body of the father of four was found under mysterious circumstances in Vallathottam village, 20 km away from Nayakanpettai.
"He had to pay a heavy price for exposing the scam. Balasubramanian had re- ceived threats from politicians and government offi- cials," claims family friend Ramu, who suspects foul play in the death. He blames the government's inaction for the tragedy.
On an earlier occasion, members of the weaver's so- ciety had manhandled him for seeking financial details. In August 2007, he filed a police complaint against five people despite his family m e m b e r s a dv i s i n g h i m against it. village in Kancheepuram district , Intimidation - The death of Balasubra manian has put the spotlight - on the security of RTI activ ists in the country. Are they safe in Tamil Nadu? V Go palakrishnan, an RTI activ ist in KK Nagar in Chennai has so far filed over 350 RTI applications with several departments. "I have been threatened on many occa sions," he informs. He had sought information from the Vellore taluk office on old age pension and the prop erty details of officials who sanction the pension. "I filed RTI petitions suspecting cor ruption as thousands of pen s i o n ap p l i c at i o n s we re cleared within a short peri od," he informs. Subsequent ly, the State Infor mation Commission ordered an inquiry into the complaints made by him against two unidentified persons who wanted him to withdraw his application. The panel referred the matter to the Director General of Police and the local police at Vellore. But the case was closed abruptly, al leges Gopalakrish nan.
Three years ago, a local councillor in Chennai threat ened Go palakrishnan for seeking de tails on the con struction of roads. struction of roads.
"I was also threatened for seeking details of assets of a government engineer. They told me if you proceed further, you will be finished," he claims.
After threats failed to cow him down, some busybodies tried a different tack. "For example, someone filed an RTI application in my name seeking demolition of an old temple in my neighbourhood. The purpose was to turn the locals against me," recalls Gopalakrishnan.
As if on cue, about 150 people gathered near his house to warn him against such misadventures. Ever since, Gopalakrishnan has been affixing his thumb impression on every RTI application he files to make it tamper-proof.
Families threatened Often, not only the RTI applicant but also his family members face the wrath of the affected party. Around three months ago, about 20 l o c a l p o l i t i c a l wo rke r s barged into R Balakrishnan's house in Tiruvannamalai district and threatened him and his family with dire consequences. The 63-year-old retired school headmaster had used RTI to ex had used RTI to ex pose financial ir re gulari ties in the rural job guarantee scheme and the functioning o f t h e panchayat and local bodies. "I n- had to approach ts the local police the local police station and the infor mation commission seeking security," informs Balakrishnan.
With increasing awareness, the age profile of RTI applicants has dipped. For example, Shankar K (27), an assistant professor in a private college, used RTI to expose the rot in the administration of local bodies and his village panchayat - Kadayanallur - in Tirunelveli district.
His RTI application seeking details of a local contractor who was awarded most of the contracts for building roads and public utility buildings landed him in trouble. "The contractor is a political party leader. He and a local councillor warned me against escalating matters," informs Shankar. s - How did he react? Did he - file any police complaint?
t "No. I didn't need to as I hail from the same village and have good support of the people.... I know how to han - dle them," he says.
y f Builder lobby d 0 Not all those who try to s muzzle RTI activists are po litically well connected. For example, a private builder threatened P Balasubrama nian (58), a retired VAO from Cuddalore, a few months ago. The builder had, accord ing to Balasubramanian, built more than 300 houses in Cuddalore without obtain ing per mission from the town-planning department.
"I got all the documents through RTI to prove that these houses are unauthors ised," says Balasubramanii an. An activist who got police protection RTI ACTIVISTS KILLED THIS YEAR SATISH SHETTY (38) JAN 13 | PUNE Stabbed to death while returning from a walk near his house. He exposed corrupt land deals and illegal construc tions near Pune VISHRAM LAXMAN DODIYA (50) FEB 11 | AHMEDABAD A Surat-based shopkeeper, Dodiya was killed after he refused to withdraw an RTI plea seeking info on illegal power connections SHASHIDHAR MISHRA: FEB 14 | BEGUSARAI A local RTI activist who worked to expose corruption at the panchayat and block levels, Mishra was shot dead by unidentified motorcycle-borne criminals at his Phulwaria village residence ARUN SAWANT FEB 26 | BADLAPUR Two men shot him dead while he was on his way to the Badlapur Municipal Council to file an RTI application on civic proj ects and local politicians SOLA RANGA RAO APRIL 11 | KRISHNA DISTRICT Found murdered near his house allegedly because of an RTI application regarding funding of the village's drainage system VITTHAL GITE APRIL 21 | BEED An RTI activist from Aurangabad, who had exposed irregularities in a village school in Beed, Gite was killed following a clash between two groups DATTA PATIL MAY 31 | KOLHAPUR He petitioned the local court against horse-trading during municipal coun cil polls. Also demanded probe into the assets of 2 former police inspectors AMIT JETHWA (33) JULY 20 | AHMEDABAD Jethwa was shot dead outside the Gujarat High Court in Ahmedabad. He had been an active crusader against illegal mining in the Gir forest RAMDAS BAPUJI UBALE-GHADEGAONKAR (43) AUGUST 29 | NANDED He was found dead under mysterious circumstances at Nanded district. He used RTI for exposing corruption in PDS TOP 5 RTI EXPOSES A Right To Information (RTI) request filed by Subhash Chandra Agrawal with Su preme Court in November 2007 kicked off a debate on whether assets and liabilities of judges of Supreme Court and High Courts should be made public or not. This prompted the government to introduce Judges' Assets Bill in Parliament, which was sub sequently withdrawn. A journalist of India Today, Shyam Lal Yadav, filed about 60 RTI applications to reveal expenditure incurred on for eign trips by Ministers of the United Progressive Alliance government. The RTI revealed that the trips were equivalent to 256 rounds of the globe, according to a news report. The RTI was instrumental in revealing the Mayawati gov ernment's expenditure of Rs 4,436 crore for the Ambedkar Park and Kanshi Ram memori al in Lucknow.
The RTI also exposed how In dian Institute of Technology, ) Kharagpur, used to block 25 h per cent of its seats in five year integrated science cours es for the children of its teachers and staff for over four decades.
Ministry of Home Affairs agrees to disclose documents pertaining to the alleged disappearance of Subhash Chan dra Bose under the RTI. The details were not given out for the past four decades fearing law and order problems.
Back
indian express
FILING an ap plication un der the Right to Infor ma tion (RTI) Act is a piece of cake. Pay Rs 10 for a form, fill up, submit it and wait for the outcome keeping your fingers crossed. You may stumble into a goldmine of information. Or landmine.
The goldmine may make you smile and the government squirm, but it's not easy to negotiate a landmine as V Balasubramanian (68), a resident of Nayakanpettai in Kanchee puram district, found out.
He used the RTI tool to ferret out information on five weaver's cooperative societies in his district and found massive misappropriation of funds. The news made him an instant celebrity in the locality as he was seen as a whistleblower, but for those who wanted to put a lid on the scam, he was bad news and had to be gagged. On August 19 last, Balasubramanian was silenced forever.
The body of the father of four was found under mysterious circumstances in Vallathottam village, 20 km away from Nayakanpettai.
"He had to pay a heavy price for exposing the scam. Balasubramanian had re- ceived threats from politicians and government offi- cials," claims family friend Ramu, who suspects foul play in the death. He blames the government's inaction for the tragedy.
On an earlier occasion, members of the weaver's so- ciety had manhandled him for seeking financial details. In August 2007, he filed a police complaint against five people despite his family m e m b e r s a dv i s i n g h i m against it. village in Kancheepuram district , Intimidation - The death of Balasubra manian has put the spotlight - on the security of RTI activ ists in the country. Are they safe in Tamil Nadu? V Go palakrishnan, an RTI activ ist in KK Nagar in Chennai has so far filed over 350 RTI applications with several departments. "I have been threatened on many occa sions," he informs. He had sought information from the Vellore taluk office on old age pension and the prop erty details of officials who sanction the pension. "I filed RTI petitions suspecting cor ruption as thousands of pen s i o n ap p l i c at i o n s we re cleared within a short peri od," he informs. Subsequent ly, the State Infor mation Commission ordered an inquiry into the complaints made by him against two unidentified persons who wanted him to withdraw his application. The panel referred the matter to the Director General of Police and the local police at Vellore. But the case was closed abruptly, al leges Gopalakrish nan.
Three years ago, a local councillor in Chennai threat ened Go palakrishnan for seeking de tails on the con struction of roads. struction of roads.
"I was also threatened for seeking details of assets of a government engineer. They told me if you proceed further, you will be finished," he claims.
After threats failed to cow him down, some busybodies tried a different tack. "For example, someone filed an RTI application in my name seeking demolition of an old temple in my neighbourhood. The purpose was to turn the locals against me," recalls Gopalakrishnan.
As if on cue, about 150 people gathered near his house to warn him against such misadventures. Ever since, Gopalakrishnan has been affixing his thumb impression on every RTI application he files to make it tamper-proof.
Families threatened Often, not only the RTI applicant but also his family members face the wrath of the affected party. Around three months ago, about 20 l o c a l p o l i t i c a l wo rke r s barged into R Balakrishnan's house in Tiruvannamalai district and threatened him and his family with dire consequences. The 63-year-old retired school headmaster had used RTI to ex had used RTI to ex pose financial ir re gulari ties in the rural job guarantee scheme and the functioning o f t h e panchayat and local bodies. "I n- had to approach ts the local police the local police station and the infor mation commission seeking security," informs Balakrishnan.
With increasing awareness, the age profile of RTI applicants has dipped. For example, Shankar K (27), an assistant professor in a private college, used RTI to expose the rot in the administration of local bodies and his village panchayat - Kadayanallur - in Tirunelveli district.
His RTI application seeking details of a local contractor who was awarded most of the contracts for building roads and public utility buildings landed him in trouble. "The contractor is a political party leader. He and a local councillor warned me against escalating matters," informs Shankar. s - How did he react? Did he - file any police complaint?
t "No. I didn't need to as I hail from the same village and have good support of the people.... I know how to han - dle them," he says.
y f Builder lobby d 0 Not all those who try to s muzzle RTI activists are po litically well connected. For example, a private builder threatened P Balasubrama nian (58), a retired VAO from Cuddalore, a few months ago. The builder had, accord ing to Balasubramanian, built more than 300 houses in Cuddalore without obtain ing per mission from the town-planning department.
"I got all the documents through RTI to prove that these houses are unauthors ised," says Balasubramanii an. An activist who got police protection RTI ACTIVISTS KILLED THIS YEAR SATISH SHETTY (38) JAN 13 | PUNE Stabbed to death while returning from a walk near his house. He exposed corrupt land deals and illegal construc tions near Pune VISHRAM LAXMAN DODIYA (50) FEB 11 | AHMEDABAD A Surat-based shopkeeper, Dodiya was killed after he refused to withdraw an RTI plea seeking info on illegal power connections SHASHIDHAR MISHRA: FEB 14 | BEGUSARAI A local RTI activist who worked to expose corruption at the panchayat and block levels, Mishra was shot dead by unidentified motorcycle-borne criminals at his Phulwaria village residence ARUN SAWANT FEB 26 | BADLAPUR Two men shot him dead while he was on his way to the Badlapur Municipal Council to file an RTI application on civic proj ects and local politicians SOLA RANGA RAO APRIL 11 | KRISHNA DISTRICT Found murdered near his house allegedly because of an RTI application regarding funding of the village's drainage system VITTHAL GITE APRIL 21 | BEED An RTI activist from Aurangabad, who had exposed irregularities in a village school in Beed, Gite was killed following a clash between two groups DATTA PATIL MAY 31 | KOLHAPUR He petitioned the local court against horse-trading during municipal coun cil polls. Also demanded probe into the assets of 2 former police inspectors AMIT JETHWA (33) JULY 20 | AHMEDABAD Jethwa was shot dead outside the Gujarat High Court in Ahmedabad. He had been an active crusader against illegal mining in the Gir forest RAMDAS BAPUJI UBALE-GHADEGAONKAR (43) AUGUST 29 | NANDED He was found dead under mysterious circumstances at Nanded district. He used RTI for exposing corruption in PDS TOP 5 RTI EXPOSES A Right To Information (RTI) request filed by Subhash Chandra Agrawal with Su preme Court in November 2007 kicked off a debate on whether assets and liabilities of judges of Supreme Court and High Courts should be made public or not. This prompted the government to introduce Judges' Assets Bill in Parliament, which was sub sequently withdrawn. A journalist of India Today, Shyam Lal Yadav, filed about 60 RTI applications to reveal expenditure incurred on for eign trips by Ministers of the United Progressive Alliance government. The RTI revealed that the trips were equivalent to 256 rounds of the globe, according to a news report. The RTI was instrumental in revealing the Mayawati gov ernment's expenditure of Rs 4,436 crore for the Ambedkar Park and Kanshi Ram memori al in Lucknow.
The RTI also exposed how In dian Institute of Technology, ) Kharagpur, used to block 25 h per cent of its seats in five year integrated science cours es for the children of its teachers and staff for over four decades.
Ministry of Home Affairs agrees to disclose documents pertaining to the alleged disappearance of Subhash Chan dra Bose under the RTI. The details were not given out for the past four decades fearing law and order problems.
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