Hyderabad: Hundreds of RTI applications seeking information from the GHMC have been dumped in in the head and zonal offices.
The applications are sent to the department concerned, but are sent back to the PRO stating that the information is not available. Applicants have to wait for a month and again appeal for the information.
DC reader Akula Krishna said he had filed an RTI application on property tax assessment details at the Circle 18 in April. “I waited for 30 days which is the mandatory period but there was no reply. I went to the circle office many times but to no avail.”
After 45 days, he file dhis first appeal at the zonal office. “Officers continued to cite various reasons to deny information. The staff never took my calls,” he said.
When he got no reply after 45 days, he lodged a complaint regarding staff inefficiency on the MyGHMC app.
He said: “Following this, I got a message that the complaint was closed as the information was sent.” He said what the GHMC send did not answers his questions. “I wasted four months,” he said.
The GHMC is not new to such situations. In 2015, a public information officer of the GHMC did not furnish information even after receiving a show-cause notice from the State Information Comm-issioner to provide reply to an RTI applicant.
In 2014, the Andhra Pradesh Information Commission had levied a fine of about Rs 2 lakh on officials of Wakf Board, Rs 1.7 lakh on the education department and about Rs 1.4 lakh on the GHMC for not complying with the Act between 2009 and 2014.
GHMC is among the top three dodgers of the RTI Act by not providing appropriate information sought by applicants, according to sources.
