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MLA Pratap Sarnaik accuses activists in Thane of misusing RTI, cops to probe

The CM’s office has asked the cops to conduct an inquiry in the said matter and Thane’s anti-extortion cell armed with a list of 10 such activists have begun the inquiry.

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Thane Municipal Corporation
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RTI activists in Thane city are under the scanner after local MLA Pratap Sarnaik complained to the CM of their blackmailing ways.  The CM’s office has asked the cops to conduct an inquiry in the said matter and Thane’s anti-extortion cell armed with a list of 10 such activists have begun the inquiry.

On March 28, Thane’s anti-extortion cell began the inquiry starting with city activist Pradip Patil.  “During the assembly session, Sarnaik wrote to the chief minister that a few activists were misusing the RTI (right to information) act in Thane,” says police inspector Rajkumar Kothmire, Thane’s anti-extortion cell. “In the complaint Sarnaik wrote how these activists would get information under RTI from the TMC (Thane municipal corporation) and other government bodies, find the loopholes and blackmail the concerned developer, builder/contractor and take money from them,” he adds.

He also said that some activists would seek the information and use it to stall civic and other infrastructure projects in the city which hampered the pace of development.  “We took a list of such activists from the TMC and have begun investigations and called Patil yesterday. More names in the list will be called soon,” he adds.

The suicide of builder Suraj Parmar had highlighted the culture of blackmail through RTI that is rampant in Thane.  In his suicide note Parmar had alleged how four corporators blackmailed him and stalled his projects.  RTI which is meant to empower common man on the streets has now become a weapon of blackmail for some activists.

For instance, in January this year a journalist from a local news channel was arrested by the anti-extortion cell for demanding Rs 50 lacs from a Kalyan based builder.  The lady journalist had sought information against the builder’s project through RTI and blackmailed to get his construction demolished if he failed to pay up.  The builder paid her Rs 2 lacs and then got her arrested when she came to accept Rs 5 lacs.

When contacted, noted RTI activist Shailesh Gandhi said that all of this has a simple solution provided the government follows it.

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