Archives tells man to look for info on Netaji by himself

[ganpat1956]

New Delhi, Aug. 19 (PTI): Come look for the currency issued by Netaji Subash Chandra Bose's provisional government yourself, the documentation is voluminous -- this was the response from authorities to a man who made an application under the RTI Act.

This happened to Delhi-based executive Dev Ashish Bhattacharya, who had sought information on whether the authorities had the currency issued by the Provisional Government of Free India set up by Bose and whether Japan and Germany had acknowledged that government.

After his application made the rounds of the Union Home Ministry, it was forwarded to the National Archives, which replied that information pertaining to the Provisional Government of Free India was available with it. "However, the requisite information is voluminous and would require lot of time to locate the desired information," Meena Gautam, the Central Public Information Officer of the National Archives, said in her reply to Bhattacharya. Gautam said that the papers of the Indian National Army were accessible according to procedures laid down in the Public Records Act.

"Bhattacharya may be directed to visit the department for consultation of the requisite material and to look for information as per his requirement," she said. "This reply left me completely dazed as I only wanted a photocopy of a currency note and wanted to know whether it was correct that two important countries had acknowledged the Free India Government," said Bhattacharya, who has launched a campaign under the Right To Information Act to dig out the truth about Netaji.

The Hindu News Update Service

[vasudha]

"whether the authorities had the currency issued by the Provisional Government of Free India set up by Bose and whether Japan and Germany had acknowledged that government"

He says all he wanted was 'a photocopy of the currency note'. In my opinion, its like asking the govt. to do your research for you. If we did send these kind of requests we'd spending massive resources on digging out information to satisfy someone's curiosity.

[ganpat1956]

Originally Posted by vasudha

In my opinion, its like asking the govt. to do your research for you. If we did send these kind of requests we'd spending massive resources on digging out information to satisfy someone's curiosity.

I doubt whether the above view is in tune with the spirit of RTI.

[vasudha]

I'm merely suggesting that we must also exercise our 'rights' with responsibility.