RTI applications piling up, remain unaddressed by GHMC

Hyderabad: Even after filing scores of RTI (Right to Information) applications, RTI activists in the City continue to strive and run from pillar to post for getting details as they failed to receive any information from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) for several months. All they received is a clear non-availability of information, despite of their grueling efforts.

According to the city RTI activists, ignoring the orders of the State Information Commissioner (SIC) to provide reply to an RTI applicant, a Public Information Officer (PIO) of each circle in the GHMC is not furnishing information. There are around 2,000 RTI applications pending within the GHMC limits.

SQ Masood, an activist said, "The RTI Act has been slowly vanishing in Telangana. Majority of government departments are not ready to reveal any information to the citizens through the RTI. The State departments are not maintaining transparency and accountability with its citizens as almost all the wings under the municipal corporation are not replying to the RTIs filed by the applicants," he added.

He said that after the RTI was filed, majority of cases were dismissed and rejected by the officers. "Nearly 150 RTIs filed by me are pending with the GHMC in different wings and circles for the last several years. Moreover, 12 cases are pending with commission and six complaints were given to the RTI commission," he added.

The recent RTI filed by Masood was related to public toilets which were built by the GHMC, information on 2BHK house scheme under GHMC and implementation of street vendors scheme and vending zones in GHMC limits. "They failed to provide details on these questions asked and the application remains pending," added Masood.

In majority of the RTI applications, officials are trying to evade every question asked by the applicant. The reply from the officials is not as per the question asked by the applicant, they just reply by saying some sections, no information available, incomplete information and close the application. They said they also approached the RTI Commissioner, but nothing happened. "Why are the RTI queries not being answered. Is there any scam in the projects going on in the city?" he wondered. "The concerned departments are not maintaining transparency and dismissing the applications," said Mohammed Abdul Rahman, another activist.

He said in recent years he filed over 100 RTIs and details were provided only for four RTI's while the remaining were pending in wings including town planning, health, engineering, projects of GHMC. "For information, I filed an RTI with PIO in the circle office and to the zonal commissioner after a month. The second appealed to the commission, but the applications are still pending," he added.

Activists also alleged that till date they did not receive any reply of their RTI filed in South (Charminar) zone of GHMC. When enquired about the status of his applications in GHMC SZ office, one of the officials questioned why he wanted the information and what he intended to do with the information after he gets it.

"RTI is like a bombshell for them, if the information is revealed, they fear losing their jobs owing to the scams in which they are involved," added Rahman.