Anybody who has been to Pune would know that the Pune Municipal Corporation is not a very competent body. The city is going down rapidly and hardly anything is being done to stop the slide.
I have been reading up on the Right to Information for quite some time and now intend to use it to get some answers on an important issue, Footpaths. I have written about this before “Pune Corporation – The Art of Converting Public Parking Spaces Into Private Property” and “Footpaths are for pedestrians and not illegal chaat stalls”
All over the city, builders are converting footpaths into parking places or approach roads for their buildings. I intend to get the following info under the Right To Information Act
- Details of new footpaths created in the last 2 years
- Details of repairs done to existing footpaths in the last 2 years
- Want to know if it is legal for footpaths to be paved by the builder instead of the PMC
- Has any action been taken against any building / builder for paving a public footpath without PMC permission?
- What action has been taken against PMC staff for failure in stopping encroachment and misuse of footpaths?
- Are footpaths designed so as to prevent any vehicle parking or their use as approach roads to buildings / parking areas?
- Which roads will get new footpaths in 2007?
- Is PMC bound to develop and maintain footpaths for all new roads in the city?
I might rephrase things a bit. But this is more or less the info I would be ask for.
I went through Right To Information Info at –
- Consumer Forum Procedure for request of Information
- Parivartan – How To Apply
- PMC Egovpmc – RTI Officers
- Model application Format for obtaining information under “RTI Act, 2005”
- Right To Information Act
- Right To Information FAQ
- Right To Information Campaign Workbook
While most of my queries have been answered. I still could not find a satisfying answer to –
- How much to pay as RTI fees and what’s the easiest way to pay them?
- None of the docs state clearly what is the amount I need to pay. They state that I will have to pay Rs 25 + photocopying/ postage on actuals. If this amount is going to change from case to case, it means I have to personally go to the PMC office and ask the bureaucrat what amount I need to pay. I would then have to pay it by standing in queues and filling more forms.
- This I think is a big flaw as it eliminates the option of me getting things done by post and without having to suffer the irritations that inevitably follow a visit to a govt. office.
- There’s no provision for electronic money transfer. It might seems elitist to talk of electronic transfers in a poor country, but the act should provide for it.
Ideally I should be able to make an online payment for a flat fee of say Rs 100. Then fill up a form on a central RTI site. The site should be well aware of the Public Information officer (PIO) to contact. The PIO should get anemail and I should get a confirmation.
Looking at the government’s e-awareness record, e-Right to Information is unlikely to happen in the near future, so I guess I should start planning my visit to the PMC office.
Any suggestions on how I could simplify the process or make better use of my application, are most welcome.
Hi Harshad!
Your sites pretty intresting.I was surfing the net for site about pune city and found yours.Infact its great!anywyaz if u still havent found answers about the right to info act
query , you may get in touch with Prof. Vijay Paranjpye at paranjpye@yahoo.co.uk.He is an active enviornmentalist from pune and has been involved in pune and civic issues for a long time and might be bale to help you. Besides him you may find teh info you need with kaneez sukhrani (u may hv to get info about how to get in touch with her also fm prof.paranjpye or the indian express) .If u draw ablnk on both these fronts you could get in touch with MR. Satish datar who used to be the deputy city engineer at sdatar@sify.com.I hope that helps.
Your sites really good!If you moved it to a yahoo 360 page you may find more people visiting it.I had to dig it fm the net becoz I dont live in india and was actully looking for websites about pune and its civic issues…hahaha no i dont work for yahoo!!
best regards,
aparna datar
Hi Harshad!
Your sites pretty intresting.I was surfing the net for site about pune city and found yours.Infact its great!anywyaz if u still havent found answers about the right to info act
query , you may get in touch with Prof. Vijay Paranjpye at paranjpye@yahoo.co.uk.He is an active enviornmentalist from pune and has been involved in pune and civic issues for a long time and might be bale to help you. Besides him you may find teh info you need with kaneez sukhrani (u may hv to get info about how to get in touch with her also fm prof.paranjpye or the indian express) .If u draw ablnk on both these fronts you could get in touch with MR. Satish datar who used to be the deputy city engineer at sdatar@sify.com.I hope that helps.
Your sites really good!If you moved it to a yahoo 360 page you may find more people visiting it.I had to dig it fm the net becoz I dont live in india and was actully looking for websites about pune and its civic issues…hahaha no i dont work for yahoo!!
best regards,
aparna datar
PMC is coming up with a multi crore project, for Indoor Swimming Pool, Jogging Park, Yoga Centre, Public Park, Garden , Play ground etc on two big plots in Ghorpadi, Pune.
But where is the Road for people to access to it, it is linked with 10 ft galli on one side and 40 ft DP Road, which is actually 20 ft lane as shops and houses built on either sides have zero front margin and hence they invariably use atleast 10 ft of the road for self use, and act as if it belongs to them, and being a notorous area you can do little about.
If PMC want to utilise these facilities to full extent and doesnot want public money to waste down the drain EXTEND 80 FT B T KAWDE ROAD TOWARDS THIS TWO PUBLIC AMINITIES AND LINK THIS ROAD TO PUNE CAMP AND STATION
wtat is law of footpath? why punekar purchace goods, eatables and other from footpathsellers? when one hawker occupied ft path puneri get punished from no space for parking.
wtat is law of footpath? why punekar purchace goods, eatables and other from footpathsellers? when one hawker occupied ft path puneri get punished from no space for parking.
You can get RTI information by visiting google search. The fee (if I am not wrong) is Rs.10/-. If the information requested is not simple and needs attachment, the concerned PIO has to give in writing the amount. You can pay the amount by Indian Postal Order also. No bank draft is necessary.
By the by, are there any standards for constructin of foot paths. In our city, Hyderabad, the footh paths are nearly more than 12″ from the ground and most of them are occupied by building material, hawkers,etc. and we have to walk on road risking our life. Thanks in advance if anybody gives the details of stardards for constructin of footpaths.
You can get RTI information by visiting google search. The fee (if I am not wrong) is Rs.10/-. If the information requested is not simple and needs attachment, the concerned PIO has to give in writing the amount. You can pay the amount by Indian Postal Order also. No bank draft is necessary.
By the by, are there any standards for constructin of foot paths. In our city, Hyderabad, the footh paths are nearly more than 12″ from the ground and most of them are occupied by building material, hawkers,etc. and we have to walk on road risking our life. Thanks in advance if anybody gives the details of stardards for constructin of footpaths.
Mr.Harshad Oak, If you send me a mail giving your e-mail address, I will send the RTI act downloaded (around 32 pages) from web.My email id is venky4753@rediffmail.com.
Mr.Harshad Oak, If you send me a mail giving your e-mail address, I will send the RTI act downloaded (around 32 pages) from web.My email id is venky4753@rediffmail.com.
PMC is coming up with a multi crore project, for Indoor Swimming Pool, Jogging Park, Yoga Centre, Public Park, Garden , Play ground etc on two big plots in Ghorpadi, Pune.
But where is the Road for people to access to it, it is linked with 10 ft galli on one side and 40 ft DP Road, which is actually 20 ft lane as shops and houses built on either sides have zero front margin and hence they invariably use atleast 10 ft of the road for self use, and act as if it belongs to them, and being a notorous area you can do little about.
If PMC want to utilise these facilities to full extent and doesnot want public money to waste down the drain EXTEND 80 FT B T KAWDE ROAD TOWARDS THIS TWO PUBLIC AMINITIES AND LINK THIS ROAD TO PUNE CAMP AND STATION
this is rearding an illlegal contruction in our society and illlegal shop running in a flat . reg this we given complain to police station and to our cantoment office (DCB) please show us the way reg. this .