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RTI, the
common man's tool to get things done
Monday, October 11, 2010 06:05:57 PM,
IANS
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New Delhi:
Ram Vilas, 32, a small-time shopkeeper in a village in Bihar, now
knows the power of the Right To Information (RTI) Act after he
used it successfully to get the provident fund money of his ailing
retired father, an ex-civic employee.
A school drop out, Ram Vilas sought help from one of his former
classmates, who is working in a bank, to get an RTI application
filed. The information he received helped him go ahead with
getting his father's provident fund money.
"Now, some of my neighbours and friends in the village also file
RTI pleas whenever they face hurdles in getting something done by
government officials," says Ram Vilas.
The benefits of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, which
completes five years Tuesday, have not seeped fully into the core
of society in many parts in India. Yet it is increasingly being
used by the common man - from an elementary school teacher to
college students - nowadays.
Citizens now file RTI pleas on issues ranging from poor
sanitation, bumpy roads, lack of teachers in government schools,
low voltage - issues they used to just crib about earlier.
The RTI Act, came into force Oct 12, 2005.
A crucial law for the promotion of transparency and
accountability, the act allows citizens to demand information - in
the form of records, documents, samples and orders - from the
government regarding any of its departments or office.
The provision of a penalty clause also reduces the chances of
denial of granting information or giving incomplete information on
the part of government officials.
As far as Delhi is concerned, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)
replies to around 200 RTI applications every week on various civic
problems and also the lackadaisical approach by its officials.
Besides MCD, the Delhi Police also replies to a huge number of RTI
pleas.
The RTI pleas are by and large not just from RTI activists or
social activists, but the common man too keeps government
officials on their toes by seeking RTI help.
Anita Jain, 30, a widow, had to file an RTI query to know the
status of her husband's death certificate. Though local body MCD
should issue a death certificate within a week after receiving an
application, it was delayed for months, and Jain had to visit the
civic body's office many times.
"The RTI has made a revolution as even the common man can now put
pressure on public authorities and make them answerable. But of 10
applicants, around six complain that government officials either
sideline RTI pleas citing various lame excuses or they give
inadequate information. Applicants need to make repeated attempts
to get information," Jain said.
Neeraj Kumar Singh, an environmentalist running an NGO, was
worried by the high number of trees being felled in Delhi. He
posted an RTI query on the issue to several departments and got
startling facts - on tree felling and on the diminishing green
cover. A group of college students as part of road awareness
programme used the RTI Act to know the number of accidents taking
place in the national capital.
RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agarwal said: "The RTI Act is far
more empowering. It gives voice to the common man and brings
corruption and other shadow areas of government authorities into
light. But there are certain loopholes like denial of information,
less penalty etc. These should be checked. The Act needs more
teeth so that many can take it up as a tool to curb malpractices
in the system."
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