NEW DELHI: Former University Grants Commission Chairman Professor Yashpal and Magsaysay award winners and social activists Aruna Roy and Sandeep Pandey, along with several non-government organisations from across the country, participated in the on-going campaign at Jantar Mantar here on Friday to "save" the Right to Information Act.

Opens kiosk

Prof. Yashpal inaugurated an information kiosk at the "dharna" site and filed an application under the RTI Act pertaining to the soft drinks issue.

Addressing the gathering, Prof. Yashpal called on the Government to regulate extraction of groundwater by soft drink manufacturing companies, restrict the harmful chemical additives added to soft drinks and also asked it to compel soft drink manufacturing companies to disclose the additives being added to soft drinks, besides restraining manufactures from discharging harmful effluents and toxic sludge on land or into water.

"The RTI Act is one of the most important rights that the Government has brought into the public domain and it is important that the right is awarded in its totality without any omissions and ambiguity. Also, the public should, under the Act, demand from the Government to make known the contents of soft drinks and the natural resources that the manufactures are using. This is the right of the public," said Prof. Yashpal.

Information sought

Seeking information from the Central Ground Water Board, Central Pollution Control Board and the Ministry of Food Processing under the RTI Act, Prof. Yashpal and Ms. Aruna Roy have among other things demanded to know whether "the Ministry is aware of the various chemicals and other additives being used in soft drinks."

"The public has the right to information about the soft drink manufacturing units. Any information or reply in the case should remain in the public domain," said Ms. Roy.

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