Despite TNSIC order, corpn refuses information under RTI
Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com
Chennai:04.02.2019
Despite directions from Tamil Nadu state information commission (TNSIC), Greater Chennai Corporation has refused to provide information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act to an applicant who sought files related to tenders floated for bus route roads.
The corporation’s public information officer (PIO) and executive engineer of bus route road department denied information to the applicant citing a writ petition filed with the Madras high court. However, the injunction obtained in the court pertained only to a specific applicant and directed the corporation not to furnish information which was private, under section 8(1) of RTI Act.
RTI activist Ramiah Arya had sought details pertaining to tenders floated for bus route roads such as checklist for submission of bid, instructions for bidders, e-tender notification and list of roads. These are not private information as it is the same for all participants and not particular to any one bidder.
The issue comes in the wake of tenders worth around ₹185 crore being cancelled by the civic body after tender-fixing was alleged by a host of contractors and activists.
Ramiah had filed the RTI in January 2018 after conducting file inspections and asked for a host of information pertaining to the tenders. Since the information was not provided, he filed a first appeal under the RTI Act with the appellate authority. Since the information was rejected again, he approached the TNSIC.
Jayaram Venkatesan, of Arappor Iyakkam which has brought out many alleged irregularities in the tenders floated by the corporation, said the local body was working hard to stall RTI petitions after the expose. “Any RTI application filed with Chennai coporation or Coimbatore corporation is stalled citing these high court orders,” he said. The assistant PIO concerned did not respond to questions from TOI.
The corporation denied information to the applicant citing a writ petition filed with the Madras high court. However, the injunction obtained in the court pertained only to a specific applicant
Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com
Chennai:04.02.2019
Despite directions from Tamil Nadu state information commission (TNSIC), Greater Chennai Corporation has refused to provide information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act to an applicant who sought files related to tenders floated for bus route roads.
The corporation’s public information officer (PIO) and executive engineer of bus route road department denied information to the applicant citing a writ petition filed with the Madras high court. However, the injunction obtained in the court pertained only to a specific applicant and directed the corporation not to furnish information which was private, under section 8(1) of RTI Act.
RTI activist Ramiah Arya had sought details pertaining to tenders floated for bus route roads such as checklist for submission of bid, instructions for bidders, e-tender notification and list of roads. These are not private information as it is the same for all participants and not particular to any one bidder.
The issue comes in the wake of tenders worth around ₹185 crore being cancelled by the civic body after tender-fixing was alleged by a host of contractors and activists.
Ramiah had filed the RTI in January 2018 after conducting file inspections and asked for a host of information pertaining to the tenders. Since the information was not provided, he filed a first appeal under the RTI Act with the appellate authority. Since the information was rejected again, he approached the TNSIC.
Jayaram Venkatesan, of Arappor Iyakkam which has brought out many alleged irregularities in the tenders floated by the corporation, said the local body was working hard to stall RTI petitions after the expose. “Any RTI application filed with Chennai coporation or Coimbatore corporation is stalled citing these high court orders,” he said. The assistant PIO concerned did not respond to questions from TOI.
The corporation denied information to the applicant citing a writ petition filed with the Madras high court. However, the injunction obtained in the court pertained only to a specific applicant
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