NEW DELHI: The Delhi Development Authority has initiated five path-breaking steps to make implementation of the Right to Information Act more effective and minimise the inconvenience caused to the public in obtaining information about the status of their various applications and files.

What makes the RTI Act more meaningful in the case of DDA is that here it made the officials bring in some special mechanisms to provide more power to the masses.

Though there was some opposition to the move, it was in the end overcome.

A case in point was the appointment of 40 directors of DDA as designated Public Information Officers (PIOs). Though initially the appointment of so many officials was opposed and it was demanded that only one PIO be appointed through whom all the information should be routed, those in charge prevailed in having 40 directors involved so that the flow of information is fast and direct and there is no need to re-route it.

"It was not practical for one person to collect all the information. But now the application would go to the official concerned straightaway and so information would flow easily,'' says Principal Commissioner V.M. Bansal, adding that of the over 600 applications received thus far under the Act all have been attended to or are being attended to within the stipulated period of one month.

To help the common man know which PIO they need to approach, the official said that on the application form the name, designation, work profile and contact number of each PIO is given so that the applicant can approach the official concerned directly. Yet another step involves presence of two councillors for the purpose of specifically guiding those coming to avail of some information under the RTI Act. "They have a cabin right next to the RTI window and give the application form free of cost along with a small booklet which contains guidelines to be following in filling it up and also help in filling the form accurately."

Since under the Act an applicant is required to deposit a nominal fee of Rs 10 and at many places it was found that the lack of a depository used to make applicants run to other offices, DDA has provided a deposit counter near the RTI window. The applicants can deposit their applications in all the seven offices of DDA at Vikas Minar, Vikas Sadan, Khel Gaon, Dwarka, Rohini and Vasant Kunj where the forms are being received.

Finally, the computerisation of the system and the issue of a computerised receipt help the applicants to have a documentary proof.

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