Right To Information (RTI) activists have hailed the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking’s (BEST) recent circular announcing availability of information under RTI.
The activists had alleged that the BEST had been refusing information under RTI on one
pretext or the other as a result of which the activists were unable to highlight the shortcomings of the government body.
Chetan Kothari, an RTI activist, said, “Though the RTI Act has stipulated that all government and public agencies providing services to the masses need to put up information on their official website, there are many bodies that have been flouting the rule, as a result of which there is lack of accountability of the authorities.”
The BEST’s announcement is targeted at rectifying the same. In a circular issued on August 1, BEST mentioned: “BEST, now appeals to the RTI applicants to whom the information was rejected or informed ‘not available’ to approach the respective/concerned public information officers of BEST. Maximum possible efforts will be taken to furnish the available information.”
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K-wards have the highest number of files missing
Age correspondent
mumbai, aug. 1
With 1,848 files missing from the building proposal department, K-East and K-West have emerged as the wards where the highest number of BMC files have been misplaced.
Interestingly, these wards have key areas like Andheri, Juhu, Vile Parle and Jogeshwari, where land prices have soared considerably in the last two decades.
The building proposal department on Thursday presented a statement to the civic standing committee, in which it said that the initial study has revealed that a total of 10,531 files are missing in the building proposal department. H-East and H-West wards (comprising Bandra, Khar and Santa Cruz areas) with 1,626 files and M-East and M-West wards (having Chembur, Tilak Nagar, Govandi, Trombay, Mankhurd) with 1,197 files are the other two wards where maximum files are missing from the civic building proposal department.
Of these, 9,149 files, date back to 1991 and before, the year when the existing development plan came into existence.