The Hindu : New Delhi News : Most RTI applications pertain to group housing societies

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
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New Delhi

Most RTI applications pertain to group housing societies

Staff Reporter

Maximum information sought from the Registrar of Cooperative Societies

NEW DELHI: With members of cooperative group housing societies facing a lot of problems pertaining to their rights, an analysis of information sought under the Right To Information Act has revealed that of nearly 30,000 applications received by various government departments in the Capital since the enactment of the Act in October 2005, the maximum have pertained to the Registrar of Cooperative Societies.

Also, while 27,055 RTI applications have been disposed of, 2,542 are still pending with various departments, the maximum again being with the Registrar of Cooperative Societies on Parliament Street.

Arvind Kejriwal of Parivartan, an organisation working for people's rights, cautions that while "the RTI has made people masters of the country'', merely having legislation would not help. He charged that subsequent developments after the passage of the legislation show that the Government is not very serious about implementing the Act.

An analysis of the applications by United Residents Joint Action has revealed that the maximum information sought by the Capital's citizens in a particular Delhi Government department was from the Registrar of Cooperative Societies -- with whom 1,569 applications had been filed.

This office has also been the greatest defaulter in not providing correct or complete information sought by the information seekers under the RTI Act.

Of the 2,542 appeals filed by the citizens against various Delhi Government departments, about 550 were against the Registrar of Cooperative Societies.

High complaint rate

The information and complaint rate has been high because most house building and group housing societies fall under its jurisdiction. They had been provided land at concessional rates. But while in these societies most of the original members have sold away their plots or flats, the few original remaining members, who are in a minority, continue to manage the affairs as the Delhi Cooperative Societies Act does not give the right to vote to the buyers and power of attorney holders in these societies.

V.N. Bali, a resident of Ram Vihar in East Delhi, who had sought information from the Registrar of Cooperative Societies about the number of original members left in his housing society, claimed that he has not been provided information by the office despite an appeal filed by him to the RTI appellate authority and no action has been taken against erring officials.

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