E-Paper
Harassed by babus, they turn to RTI
CALL IT ?babugiri? at govenment offices or something else but, officials at Chandauli district have not only overlooked a government order but even turned down the order of the district magistrate. Rakesh Pandey, a resident of Jalalipur village in Chandauli district had filed an application on November 21, 2003, to get `patta? of a government plot (Rakba 19, Jalalipur village) as per a government order of the Revenue department which was circulated on January 1, 2003.
CALL IT ‘babugiri’ at govenment offices or something else but, officials at Chandauli district have not only overlooked a government order but even turned down the order of the district magistrate.
Rakesh Pandey, a resident of Jalalipur village in Chandauli district had filed an application on November 21, 2003, to get `patta’ of a government plot (Rakba 19, Jalalipur village) as per a government order of the Revenue department which was circulated on January 1, 2003.
Ever since filing the application, Rakesh Pandey has been running from pillar to post to get the `patta’ of the above said land but to no avail. Even the district magistrate on March 21, 2004 ordered the concerned official to take the progress report from the additional district magistrate in this case. But the ADM has not yet submitted the progress report and the file is gathering dust at the office of the nayab tehsildar in Chandauli, alleged Pandey, who on Tuesday filed an application under Right to Information Act with the district information officer of Chandauli.
However, when HT brought up the matter with ADM (Chandauli) RR Singh, he dismissed the claim by simply reacting that, “We are ascertaining whether the `patta’ could be given to Rakesh Pandey or not as the area of land is more than the limit mentioned in the government order”.
Similar is the case of Sangam Lal Sahu, who purchased a one-room flat from the Varanasi Development Authority in Ashok Vihar Colony in Paharia area in 1987.
According to Sangam Lal Sahu, on false information he had submitted some extra amount with the VDA and later when he claimed for refund, the VDA officials demanded bribe from him.
“As I could not meet the demands of the concerned officials, I have been facing ‘babushahi’ for the last 20 months”, he said, adding that the refundable amount of Rs 48,900 should be immediately paid to him. Sahu filed an application under Right to Information Act with VDA on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, central information commissioner OP Kejariwal has asked BHU authorities to make Prof. Harikesh Singh Committee report public. Prof. Harikesh Singh Committee was investigating the cause of death of BPEd student Yogesh Rai allegedly due to medical negligence at the SS Hospital around one-and-a-half-years ago.
Another BP Ed student Dhanhanjay Tripathi had sought Harikesh Singh Committee report from the BHU registrar on January 5 this year under Right to Information Act but did not get the report. Tripathi then reported the matter to the Central Information Commission. The commissioner later directed BHU authorities to make the report public.
