BENGALURU: Four months since the RTI cellular on the BBMP headquarters has been closed, activists say the move has undermined their proper to seek knowledge as drawing near designated public knowledge officers (PIOs) to post applications has transform an ordeal.
While closing the cellular within the last week of November 2017, the Palike stated RTIs relating different wards had been touchdown on the head place of work, and moving them to the PIOs involved was taking a large number of time. The civic agency has now submit the record of its 502 PIOs on the website online along with their touch numbers and addresses for RTI candidates.
Ravindra Nath Guru, managing trustee of the Karnataka Right to Information Activists Forum, stated the assistant commissioner (management), who is PIO for the commissioner’s place of work, recently refused to simply accept an utility and relented only after her awesome intervened.
“When the cellular opened in 2006, there were only 100 wards beneath BBMP, but contacting the PIOs was difficult. Now, the choice of wards has almost doubled. Most PIOs, who come with engineers and scientific officers, are normally on the box and available only at sure hours each day,” stated Guru.
Prior to its closing, the cellular was receiving up to 150 applications each day, officials stated. But they now have no clue concerning the quantity. “We have been getting dozens of calls from electorate, who are finding it difficult handy over applications to officers. Their e mail addresses haven’t been supplied, so we haven't any selection but to go to the place of work, only to learn that the officer is not present,” rued RTI activist B Veeresh.
When applications had been being routed by way of the cellular situated within the head place of work to the officer involved, the latter had no selection but to take them up. Now that this mechanism is no longer functioning, Veeresh stated, officers would possibly no longer settle for applications.
“We’ve met officials from the dept of workforce and administrative reforms, who had written to the BBMP in February soliciting for that the cellular be reopened. But since their letter was left out, we will ask them to factor a central authority order,” Guru stated.
For the document, BBMP commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad stated there may be ‘no likelihood’ of the cellular being reopened.
Quotes:
Activists know the way to post applications, but a citizen will not be acutely aware of the process. I have discovered PIOs absent from their place of job a number of times. Many officers shouldn't have any knowledge or knowledge on who is supposed to simply accept the application. If they do, they ask us to wait within the place of work until the PIO will get back. They have broken a system that was designed to assist electorate
B T Britto, activist
People travel all the approach to the place of work, only to learn that the PIO is not in. Since no one else will settle for the application, they have no selection but to return back yet again, and the way again and again can they do that? The officers are unfold across the city, and if I want some knowledge on Bommanahalli, I will be able to need to travel a number of kilometres to the place of work. On getting there, there’s no be sure that we’ll to find the officer and arrange to post the application
Kathyayini Chamaraj, govt trustee, CIVIC, an NGO
Times View
The RTI Act has been a game-changer in some ways. A powerful tool within the palms of a vigilant public, it’s a regulation officials and politicians like to hate. There have been efforts by way of vested pursuits to dilute the Act because it has exposed system faults in management. The present state of affairs in Bengaluru where electorate are struggling to document applications with no proper system in position is but differently of suppressing knowledge that electorate are entitled to. The executive will have to act briefly to chop thru this bureaucratic tangle and ensure people get get entry to to knowledge they need.
While closing the cellular within the last week of November 2017, the Palike stated RTIs relating different wards had been touchdown on the head place of work, and moving them to the PIOs involved was taking a large number of time. The civic agency has now submit the record of its 502 PIOs on the website online along with their touch numbers and addresses for RTI candidates.
Ravindra Nath Guru, managing trustee of the Karnataka Right to Information Activists Forum, stated the assistant commissioner (management), who is PIO for the commissioner’s place of work, recently refused to simply accept an utility and relented only after her awesome intervened.
“When the cellular opened in 2006, there were only 100 wards beneath BBMP, but contacting the PIOs was difficult. Now, the choice of wards has almost doubled. Most PIOs, who come with engineers and scientific officers, are normally on the box and available only at sure hours each day,” stated Guru.
Prior to its closing, the cellular was receiving up to 150 applications each day, officials stated. But they now have no clue concerning the quantity. “We have been getting dozens of calls from electorate, who are finding it difficult handy over applications to officers. Their e mail addresses haven’t been supplied, so we haven't any selection but to go to the place of work, only to learn that the officer is not present,” rued RTI activist B Veeresh.
When applications had been being routed by way of the cellular situated within the head place of work to the officer involved, the latter had no selection but to take them up. Now that this mechanism is no longer functioning, Veeresh stated, officers would possibly no longer settle for applications.
“We’ve met officials from the dept of workforce and administrative reforms, who had written to the BBMP in February soliciting for that the cellular be reopened. But since their letter was left out, we will ask them to factor a central authority order,” Guru stated.
For the document, BBMP commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad stated there may be ‘no likelihood’ of the cellular being reopened.
Quotes:
Activists know the way to post applications, but a citizen will not be acutely aware of the process. I have discovered PIOs absent from their place of job a number of times. Many officers shouldn't have any knowledge or knowledge on who is supposed to simply accept the application. If they do, they ask us to wait within the place of work until the PIO will get back. They have broken a system that was designed to assist electorate
B T Britto, activist
People travel all the approach to the place of work, only to learn that the PIO is not in. Since no one else will settle for the application, they have no selection but to return back yet again, and the way again and again can they do that? The officers are unfold across the city, and if I want some knowledge on Bommanahalli, I will be able to need to travel a number of kilometres to the place of work. On getting there, there’s no be sure that we’ll to find the officer and arrange to post the application
Kathyayini Chamaraj, govt trustee, CIVIC, an NGO
Times View
The RTI Act has been a game-changer in some ways. A powerful tool within the palms of a vigilant public, it’s a regulation officials and politicians like to hate. There have been efforts by way of vested pursuits to dilute the Act because it has exposed system faults in management. The present state of affairs in Bengaluru where electorate are struggling to document applications with no proper system in position is but differently of suppressing knowledge that electorate are entitled to. The executive will have to act briefly to chop thru this bureaucratic tangle and ensure people get get entry to to knowledge they need.
RTI cell closed, BBMP sends activists on a wild-goose chase
![RTI cell closed, BBMP sends activists on a wild-goose chase]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
March 23, 2018
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