Info panel orders BMC to act on delay over Vikhroli mall

The state information commissioner has ordered the municipal commissioner to fix responsibility for the delay in providing information about the legality of a Vikhroli mall.

In his order on March 18, Ratnakar Gaikwad stated that public information officer Bharambe, who was also an assistant engineer in the 'S' ward, was summoned by the commission to explain why action should not be taken against him for delaying to provide the information. (Bharambe's first name has not been mentioned in the order.)

RTI activist Dilip Gaikwad had in his application on September 30, 2013, sought to know why no action was taken against Vinayak Arcade Mall, in Vikhroli (West), which was an illegal construction, despite a court order to this effect.

Appearing before the commission, Bharambe said he had assumed that the applicant sought information for several illegal structures around the mall and not specifically about the mall and that collecting this information took some time.

Bharambe said that he had in a letter dated October 31, 2013, to the applicant, asked him to collect the documents available. He said that his office had also informed the applicant to inspect the documents, but the applicant did not visit the office till November 11. 2013.

Subsequently, the applicant went in for the first appeal.

The information commissioner stated in his order that there had been a delay in providing the information and he directed the civic chief, Sitaram Kunte, to conduct an inquiry into the matter, fix responsibility and take action against all those responsible for the delay.

Gaikwad asked the civic chief to submit a report on the matter by May 31, 2014.