Need for more interactions of citizens with you and your officers, speedy redressal of grievances and better implementation of RTI Act in the various Prabhag Samiti offices

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ALERT CITIZENS FORUM OF INDIA 
A7/303, Saket CHSL, Thane (W) 400601  # 8879528575

January 8, 2019

The Municipal Commissioner,
Thane Municipal Corporation,
Thane.

Dear Sir,

Ref: Various directives, GRs Circulars etc of Maharashtra Govt and Central Govt directing local Corporations to ensure better transpearny, accountability and better governance.  
        
This is to bring to your notice that there is an urgent need to ensure that citizens grievances are promptly redressed and RTI Act is implemented in the City in true letter and spirit.

As you may be very well aware, our law-makers had envisaged easy flow of information from the Govt. Depts. to the citizens as it is very evident from the RTI Act, 2005.   
But sadly, rather than get information easily with minimum efforts, this "Right to Information" has become "Fight for Information".

So in order to ensure that the public is treated the way they should be by the public servants, we urge you to streamline the functioning of the Depts. under your jurisdiction vis-a-vis the RTI Act and to promote transparency and accountability in all your Depts. in the following manner :--

1.  Ensure that all records are duly catalogued and indexed so as to facilitate easy access to information by citizens.  Sec. 4 (1) of RTI states that  "Every Public Authority shall maintain all its records duly catalogued and indexed in a manner and the form which facilitates the right to information under this act...."

2.  Ensure that as information is provided suo moto as much as possible as per Sec. 4 (2) of RTI Act so that need for filing applications is minimized.
 
3.  Ensure that every Public Information Officer (PIO) provides as much assistance as possible to the applicant/citizen seeking information as per Sec. 5 (3) and 6 (1) (b) of the RTI Act.

4.  Ensure that whenever the PIO denies information to an applicant he provides reasons for the same by quoting the appropriate sections of the RTI Act. (See Sec. 7 (8) (i) and Sec. 10 (2) (b) of RTI Act).

5.  Ensure that the PIO and the First Appellate Authority provide their name and designation to the citizens whenever they communicate with the citizens in writing or verbally as per Sec. 10 (2) (c) of RTI Act. 

6.   Ensure that the PIO provides the details of the fees to be paid and the calculations on how that figure has been arrived at as per Sec.  7 (3) (a) and Sec. 10 (2) (d) of RTI Act.

7.  Ensure that your officers abide by the provisions of the following two Maharashtra Govt. Circulars :

          i.  Maharashtra Govt. (GAD) Circular No. Sankirna 2015/Pra. Kra. 181/15/ Karya - 6, dated 25.8.2015 asking all public authorities to upload all RTI queries and the responses on their website.

          ii.   Maharashtra Govt. Circular No. Sankirna2018/Pra.Kra.45/Karya - 6, dated 26.11.2018 directing all Public authorities to allow inspection of all public records in all offices on all Mondays from 3 pm to 5 pm.

8.  TMC needs  to set an example to officers and staff in being punctual, by being courteous and prompt in addressing their grievances. 
The culture of promptly serving the public by you shall surely percolate down to the peon level in your office.

9.  Ensure that the PIOs and First Appellate Authorities in the ward adhere to the time schedule of the RTI Act for providing information, take appeal hearing and passing the order after that in reasonable period.

10.   Ensure that no evasive tactics are employed by the PIOs to deny information by either calling for "inspection of records" when an inspection has not been sought or stating that records are missing / lost / not traceable / not available etc.   
If genuinely information is lost etc then to initiate proceedings under the Public Records Act, 2005 by directing the officers to search and reconstruct the files from related departments. If that too fails then to ensure that FIR is filed against the concerned officer responsible for safety and preservation of public records.

11.  In addition to twice-a-week hearing being given to individual citizens, you need to meet citizens' group members collectively atleast once in two months along with all your HoDs to understand the grievances, how best it is being redressed and the limitations faced by your officers  in course of their duty.

12.  Ensure that there is better accountability from your officers. Do not hesitate to take disciplinary action against them if found to indulge in dereliction of duty, lethargy, favouring the law-violators, corruption etc.

Request you to please do the needful and oblige.

Thanking you.
 
Regards,

For Alert Citizens Forum of India,

Dayanand Nene             Prasad Bedekar              Ganesh Iyer        CS Sandhya Malhotra       Rajan Chandok             

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