Pay Rs 13,000 to get RTI documents, says Corpn

COIMBATORE: Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation’s reply to a RTI query has shocked a city-based activist. The Public Information Officer (PIO) has asked him to pay Rs 13,000 to get copy of the documents related to a resolution passed in 2017. Neither is the reply relevant to the query nor is the query required if the Corporation had been uploading the documents on its website on time.

PIO A Amalraj, who is also the Council Secretary of CCMC, has asked SP Thiyagarajan, resident of GRG Nagar, Sowripalayam, to give Rs 100 for the first three pages and Rs 10 each for the remaining pages’ copies. The PIO has also said that 129 different resolutions have been passed between July and December and Thiyagarajan has to pay a total of Rs 13,060 to get the copies.

The civic body usually uploads resolutions on its website. In the absence of local body, resolutions are passed with approval of Corporation Commissioner K Vijayakarthikeyan since September 2016. The civic body has uploaded resolutions only till June 2017.

“In my RTI query, I clearly stated that I wanted copies of the index column (brief) of each month’s resolutions passed between July and December by the Commissioner and I believe that it costs Rs 250 or Rs 300,” said Thiyagarajan

According to corporation sources, though a separate password has already been given to the Council Secretary, he has failed to upload the resolutions on to the Corporation website. When Council Secretary was questioned about it, he said it was the duty of the IT wing to upload the resolution every month.