FIRST PERSON
RITE TO INFORMATION

Reporter's Diary | An encounter with BMC babus is a lesson in the fine art
of red tape
Shalini Nair | TNN

    The sharpest and most used weapon in a BMC babu's arsenal has always
been the line, 'I don't have that data' or its more potent version, 'I can't
give you that information'. Having their hold over information broken is not
something they take kindly to as I discovered the hard way when I decided to
use the Right to Information (RTI) Act to get facts for a story. I had been
tipped off about something fishy in BMC permissions to a housing project in
Versova by a group of well-known builders.

 I knew that the best way to dig out the entire story would be by browsing through the mounds of files at the BMC's Building Proposal department. I'd heard a lot about this department where peons receive flashy handsets as Diwali gifts, where postings for jobs
with a monthly salary of Rs 15,000 cost Rs 20 lakh and where builders are
the real paymasters. Armed with an application under the RTI Act, I went to
the department to inspect the files.

    "Err, but is there no one who can fish out the files?'' I asked, looking
around the room swarming with architects and real estate agents. "Kamble is
out of town, madam. He'll be back after ten days,'' said the head of the
department (HOD). No one else knew where the files were-the department that
decides what Mumbai's skyline looks like is paralysed when Kamble, the peon,
goes on leave.

    Ten days and several trips later, I almost fell prostrate before Kamble
when he finally blessed the office with his presence. I was humbled further
when he agreed to search for my files.

    "That will be Rs 150 per file,'' said the HOD. My lengthy discourse on
the RTI rules that allow an hour's inspection free of cost and Rs 5 for
every 15 minutes thereafter was dismissed with a poker-faced reply: "But we
have always been charging Rs 150.''

    Too exasperated to cling on to my faith in the RTI Act, I called up his
boss and got my way. But when I returned the next day to go through the
remaining files, I was hounded by the builders' architects and advocates who
tried to convince me there was nothing illegal in the building plans. How
did they get to know about my RTI application? Your guess is as good as
mine. This was followed by attempts to delay giving me copies of the
documents at every stage. "Our xerox machine is not working, madam.'' "That
document can't be given unless our senior approves.'' And predictably,
"Kamble's out for lunch, he'll be back in an hour or two.''

    But what took the cake was the 'advice' from one of the builders I
called up for his version. "I should warn you, I will not take to this very
kindly,'' he said.

    I wrote my story about the BMC sanctioning building permission despite
75% of the application form being blank. Next, I filed an appeal about the
Building Proposal department overcharging for information. Nothing much has
changed in the department since, despite the verdict being passed in my
favour. Only, the skirmish has put me on the hate-list of some more BMC
babus. And the HOD? He asks me to apply under the RTI even when I ask him
for an opinion on an issue!

    This is the sixth in a series by TOI reporters on an unforgettable
experience during their assignments in the year that is coming to an end.


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