UTTAR PRADESH and justice (retired) M.A. Khan seem to be fighting over Chief Minister Mayawati's pet Ambedkar Smarak Project in Gomti Nagar. Khan, who is the chief information commissioner (
CIC), threatened to hand over the matter to the CBI if the state did not comply with his order to provide information related to the multi-crore project sought by Shailendra Singh, under the Right To Information Act.
He issued a notice to Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh on Thursday to personally appear before the panel on December 12 to explain why the information was not being provided to the complainant despite the Commission's directives. "LDA's (Lucknow Development Authority) public information officer says the monument being built is akin to the Taj Mahal. Would there be two Taj Mahals now? To which one would the tourists go first, the one at Lucknow or the one at Agra," asked the
CIC.
Chief Secretary P.K. Mishra, who was supposed to appear before the commission on Thursday, moved an application through his counsel A.K. Mishra to seek exemption on the matter. Interestingly, Mishra disassociated himself from the proceedings and said he was merely present to seek exemption for the CS.
Representing the state, officials of LDA, the nodal agency for the project, handed a reply to the petitioner saying it had the information sought by him. Singh, however, protested before the
CIC saying the information was cursory and an attempt to hoodwink the commission.