DDA, Police top list of RTI queries in Delhi

NEW DELHI: People in the capital seem to be most unhappy with the ways of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and Delhi Police, if the number of applications made under the Right to Information (RTI) Act is any indication.

According to figures compiled by Kabir, an NGO working on RTI, the capital's land management agency received 12,970 RTI applications from October 2005 to December 2007 and Delhi Police 12,229 during the same period.

"We filed RTI applications in various departments of Delhi to understand the growth and trend of the RTI Act in the national capital since it was notified in 2005," Neeraj Kumar, who works with Kabir, said.

"Delhi Police and DDA received maximum applications, which clearly implies that people face maximum problems at these places," he said.

The other top government bodies in Delhi that received a large number of RTI applications are the education department (4,175), the food supplies and consumer affairs department (2,535), the Delhi Jal Board (1,698) and the office of the commissioner of industries (1,496).

"The process of getting this data was not smooth at all. Several departments didn't give us any data and we have filed a first appeal. We are still pursuing those applications," Kumar added.

As far as the lowest number of RTI applications is concerned, the chit fund department got only 13 applications.

Other departments receiving fewer applications are planning (17), archaeology (25), Home Guards and civil defence (34) and public works department (57), the data shows.

According to the RTI Act, if an applicant does not get the required information, he or she can file a first appeal in the same department with a senior official. However, if he is not satisfied with that reply, he can file a second appeal at the Information Commission.

In cases that needed first appeals, Delhi Police topped the list.

"Delhi Police received the highest number of first appeals at 1,177 followed by the education department (447), Delhi Jal Board (260), DDA (258), the department of training and technical education (251) and the transport department (122)," said Kumar.
 
Delhi Police were again leading the list of cases where second appeals were filed.

The number of second appeals filed against Delhi Police, DDA, the education department, the department of training and technical education, Delhi Jal Board and the food supplies and consumer affairs department are respectively 135, 81, 59, 45, 20 and 14.
 
"We analysed the data and found that departments like Delhi Police, DDA, the education department and Jal Board are those where a common man in Delhi faces maximum problems," said Kumar.

On data regarding RTI applications before the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Kumar said: "We have received some data from MCD and a part is awaited. It is huge and will take a lot of time in compilation."