Activist Vijay Kumbhar has carved a niche for himself in the field of civic activism in Pune. Over the years, Kumbhar, thanks to the judicious use of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, has managed to expose the nefarious connections between builders and politicians. Kumbhar’s relentless fight against the move by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to de-reserve a plot in the prime location of the city for the benefit of the son-in-law of ex-chief minister Manohar Joshi resulted in success when the Supreme Court negated the move. Kumbhar spoke with Partha Sarathi Biswas about his book titled, ‘Pehelu Mahitihe Adhikarichi’ (Aspects of RTI) and his views on the future of RTI.
What is the future of RTI in Maharashtra and the rest of the country?
Going by the present scenario, the future of RTI does not look very bright. Government negligence and misuse by certain sections seem to be threatening the future of this Act.
In Maharashtra, government inaction seems to be at its best when it comes to RTI. Starting from the lack of commissioners to the absence of proper infrastructure for commissioners, the government is doing little to help the cause of RTI.
The present chief minister is most lethargic when it comes to appointment of new commissioners and that is leading to a rise in pending cases. The number of pending second appeals in Maharashtra alone has crossed 20,000.
You said that some RTI users are a threat to the Act. Can you explain?
Misuse of RTI falls into two categories — some users ask for voluminous information under the RTI and some try to blackmail government officers by filing numerous applications.
However, in the recent days, another trend is coming up, with some users forming groups and trying to harass government officials by asking for personal information. Although the number of such users is very small, their nuisance value is high.
How your book is different from other books on the same subject?
In my book, I have tried to narrate the experience of using RTI and
compiled similar experiences from other users. I have also tried to guide people on the correct procedure of using RTI. Some information does not come under RTI, but people do not know much about it. In my book, I have tried to shed some light on those areas also.
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