BV Road issue reaches info chief

[karira]

BV Road issue reaches info chief


PUNE: With the state urban development (UD) department failing to make public information about the Bharati Vidyapeeth (BV) road, civic activist Vivek Velankar has complained to chief information commissioner Suresh Joshi, pointing out that the UD department has violated section 4 (1)(C) of Right To Information Act, 2005.

The issue of BV road has been in the news since October, when the state government banned all motorised vehicles on the road.

Velankar has pointed out that section 4 of RTI, 2005, deals with suo-motu declarations to be made by all public authorities.

While section 4 (1) (c) states that public authorities must publish all relevant facts while formulating important policies or announcing decisions which affect public and section 4 (1) (d) states that it must provide reasons for its administrative or quasi-judicial decisions to the affected people.

Speaking to TOI, Velankar said that on the basis of these provisions, it was mandatory on part of state government to give reasons for the move, more so because the public has been badly affected due to the ban.

He added that he also sent a reminder to the state UD secretary that the department must publish the details as the decision had affected thousands of people. "No cognisance has been taken so far. I am left with no option but to complain to the chief information commissioner and request him to direct the state officials to publish the facts and its reasons," Velankar said.

It may be noted that the Pune Municipal Corporation's general body had sent a proposal to the state government in November to allow two and four-wheeler vehicles on the road and ban only heavy vehicles.


BV Road issue reaches info chief-Pune-Cities-The Times of India