NEW DELHI: From next month, residents of the capital will be able to = find out=20 how their area MLA and councillor spend their local area development = funds every=20 year?
Thanks to the Central Information Commission (CIC), from March 15 =
this=20
information on expenditure details may be widely available to everyone =
on a=20
notice board installed prominently in every ward by the
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In two landmark decisions last week, the CIC ordered the Delhi = government and=20 MCD to install boards in every ward of the city displaying these = details.=20 Information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi fixed March 15 as the deadline = to=20 comply with his order and also said the information must include details = of=20 funds spent last year, to be provided on these boards in Hindi. Details = of each=20 project, including total amount sanctioned, date of start of work, date = of=20 completion of work, name of contractor and actual expenditure on work, = must also=20 be provided on the board which has to be maintained and updated every = year, as=20 per the CIC order.
"The RTI is a fundamental right of citizens and it envisions that all = citizens shall receive information primarily by suo moto disclosures by = public=20 authorities," Gandhi observed in his order that came on complaints filed = by=20 Satark Nagrik Sangathan, a citizens' group, which uses the RTI Act to = access=20 information and prepare report cards on the performance of elected=20 representatives.
While directing the chief secretary and MCD commissioner to put up = boards in=20 every ward, Gandhi viewed the failure of both authorities to disseminate = information on expenditure as a violation of the RTI Act. He reminded = them that=20 providing this information was a basic obligation under Section 4 of the = RTI Act=20 and that this obligation should have been met by October 2005.
In its complaint, the Sangathan drew CIC's attention to the fact that = every=20 year, over Rs 400 crore is spent through MLA & councillor LAD funds = and yet=20 the city government has not put in place a mechanism to provide = information on=20 utilization of these to people suo moto. .
"Due to lack of transparency, we find that these funds are often = spent on non=20 priority works while basic development needs of people remain largely=20 unaddressed," Anjali Bhardwaj, the complainant, submitted before the = commission.=20 The complaints were filed following a state-wide public hearing = organized by SNS=20 in September 2010 wherein people had demanded that information on local = area=20 development funds of MLAs and councillors be proactively provided by the = government on boards in Hindi. Bhardwaj hoped the CIC orders, if = implemented=20 properly, will go a long way in ensuring that MLA & councillor local = area=20 development funds are utilized in a transparent, consultative, = participatory and=20 accountable manner.