Info about Mumbai Metro now a right

The Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL) has appointed a public information officer following an order from the state chief information commissioner.

Getting information about the Mumbai Metro project is now a right under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

The Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL) has appointed a public information officer following an order from the state chief information commissioner.

MMOPL has also made a provision on its website to find the names of the public information officer and first appellate officer.

Former central information commissioner (CIC) Shailesh Gandhi had asked the state CIC to declare the MMOPL a public authority.

Gandhi had said that section 2 (h) (i) and (ii) of the RTI Act states that if a government provides funds to a body directly or indirectly, that body is considered a public authority and comes under the ambit of the Act.

In case of the Mumbai Metro, the government has given financial assistance of Rs633 crore — Rs133 crore as equity and Rs500 crore as viability gap funding — Gandhi had said.

On March 19, a bench of Ratnakar Gaikwad and Ajit Kumar Jain said the MMOPL is a public authority under the RTI Act and hence should provide information under the RTI Act.

“There are several flaws in the concession agreement, which people should be aware of. Now, we can get the required information through the RTI,” Gandhi said.

An MMOPL spokesperson said, “MMOPL is following the process and procedure, in compliance with the RTI Act, and has accordingly appointed a public information officer.”