Hi Urvi, I got Rejimon's email because I moderate a RTI Yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rti_india/
I for one don't believe in "MPs as representatives of the people". They are a necessary evil to be voted for so that a government can be formed. RTI's essence is 2 fold. To the State - maintain your records properly and disclose as much as you can proactively so that the citizens wont have to apply to you for it. To the Citizen - Dont ask us questions, ask us for copies of documents (and other materials things) that you know know to exist with us and which you can specify properly for us to retrieve it for you. Mr Rejimon (and thousands of others like him) has not understood this. I seriously dispute that Rejimon's intentions are good. For eg. in 2007 Mr Rejimon drafted a 20 page RTI with about 2000 questions (incl. sub questions) which he filed to at least 100 Public authorities. Most of the (similarly incoherent) questions were not connected to the public authorities he filed them to. Then he filed complaints and appeals complaining that these PIOs did not transfer his RTIs to the concerned public authorities. Personally I believe that "officious busybodies" like Mr Rejimon - "President" of some dubious Dwarka Forum - are not entitled to either use (or misuse) the RTI Act in this fashion (or at all). You asked whose side I am on, I am on the side of individual citizens of India who occasionally file serious RTIs on serious issues and need the information urgently to participate in public policy. Unfortunately due to the Rejimons of this world - RTI ACT for people like us has been reduced to a piece of toilet paper because the Rejimons have converted RTI process into a railway line toilet (too many people squatting and exposing themselves publicly) and stinking up the place. BTW, using RTI (in 2003) I have confirmed that in Delhi the Delhi Traffic Police is illegal, the challans they issue are illegal, the magistrates who sentence traffic offenders are impostors, and the money collected by challaning is unaccounted for to pay the overheads of this illegal traffic mafia isntalled by HC orders. (I havent paid a challan in years - and my car till very recently was on some VIP list they maintain along with SC and HC judges and other troublemakers) Sarbajit --- On Thu, 12/25/08, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote: > From: [email protected] <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: an RTI applicatinw ith admin reforms.. RTI activist u got chance > to put question 365 days whereas an MP or MLA can put question while session > is on. > > Date: Thursday, December 25, 2008, 1:21 AM > Dear Mr Roy, > MPs would have to attend Parliament I, in the first place, > to ask questions. > The attendance is often so sparse it is widely commented > upon in the > press.And the state of the country 60+ years into > Independence speaks > volumes of the monumental neglect of India's > development. They seem to care > two hoots that Lok Sabha, when in session, is televised. > Many of us are very happy that we can email en masse.Or we > tolerate it, at > times. It is going to be an offence, only if you take > offence.Seeing as even > email lists one subscribes to can be unsubscribed to by a > subscriber, where > is the question of people not understanding if one tells > them you don't wish > to receive their emails.Most people are sensitive and > sensible enough to > realise that.You can always tell people politely you > don't wish to receive > their emails instead of insulting them, > And since you are so enlightened,I -for one-would be > grateful for a brief > summary of what we may or may not do under the RTI. In the > meanwhile, I > have no doubt that you are a genuine RTI-ist. > I, for one, read thru Mr Rejimon 's email and found his > list quite > exhaustive and enlightening,even if a little exhausting to > read. > RTI it is widely known has become a handy tool for the > frustated citizenry > of our country who just are not managing to make headway > with even a single > Govt application. > At least his intention was good even if he went about it > the wrong way by > asking questions rather than asking for pertinent documents > and finding > answers there > In your case,I'm wondering whose side you are on. > In the meanwhile,I have my own RTI...if someone could guide > me as to what > documents I should ask for in order to find out what is > done with the money > from traffic challans, seeing as so many of the drives > happen quite clearly > pre-elections mostly? > Also, if the Pune Municipal Corporation has the money to > the tune of 2-digit > lakh figures to award our Olympians (honourable gesture no > doubt it is),how > come there is no money to build public toilets,pedestrian > overpaths and so > many other other public works? > Urvi > --------------------------------------------------
