Tuesday, 11th April

A meeting of Chennai RTI volunteers (new volunteers are welcome) is scheduled 

Date:
Sunday, April 16, 2006.

Venue:
Altius IAS Study Circle
27, Eldams Road, Alwarpet,
Chennai 600018

Time: 5:00 PM

This is a call for volunteers to come up with problems that we can take up. As you know, we have filed an application with the Corporation about the procedure for digging up roads. We are also evaluating 2 more proposals.

1. Using RTI to determine how the Road Transport Office, the city's road department and the traffic police intend to regulate road traffic in Chennai
2. Using RTI to determine Anna University's reservation policy and its implementation

The objective of this meeting will be

1. To identify grievances/issues within the scope of the RTI Act that we can take up.
2. To step up the level of activity (applying to obtain information) given that the administrative departments that we apply to take 30 days to respond.
3. To start an awareness campaign for RTI. We are planning to prepare articles in English and Tamil, explaining the features of the Act, procedures for filing an application, appellate authorities, success achieved by organizations in Rajasthan, Maharahstra and Delhi. We will approach English and Tamil news publishing houses and magazines to work with us on this.
4. To discuss the development of the website and the blog

All volunteers are requested to come up with grievances that you are convinced that we should take up. Write to the groups with a short description of this before Saturday so that we can include it in the agenda of the meeting.

All volunteers are also requested to suggest before Saturday, other action items that you want to be discussed during the meeting.

Regards,
Guru

Wednesday, 5th April, 2006

On April 6, a volunteer will file an application with the Chennai Corporation’s Roads department. This will be our first application under the Right to Information Act, 2005. The application will ask the Corporation to provide on electronic/paper medium,

• The process for the receipt and approval of permissions to dig a road in Chennai city by any agency, government or private.
• A copy of the list of approvals/permission to dig in Zone 8 – Kodamabakkam and Zone 10- Adyar during the months of January and February this year (for zone details, click here).
• The official/division designated to verify that wherever the permission to dig has been obtained, the roads have been closed and left as they were before they were dug up.
• Copies of reports filed by this official/division after inspection of these sites to verify that the digging agency has closed the dig in the specified way.

This being our first application, we hope to learn the working of the RTI Act in Chennai. When we get this information, our volunteers will help determine if the process for permissions is being adhered to by the Corporation and if the digging agencies are adhering to the requirement of closing their digs. We intend to bring all violations of the process to the notice of the Corporation officials. The help of the media and legal contacts will be sought if alternate action has to be taken.

The road-dig issue is going to be our RTI 101, our first case. If you wish to volunteer for this, get in touch with us at chennairti@gmail.com. Residents of Zone 8 and Zone 10 can get in touch with us if you come across a road-dig that has not been closed for more than a month.

Watch this space for updates.

For older updates, click here.....