PMC says providing information regarding Mayor’s fund could be problematic
20 Jan, 2014An application was filed with the Mayor’s office of Pune under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking to get the details about the legal and technical aspects of the Mayor’s fund. The application sought to know whether the fund was registered with the charity commissioner's office, how the funds are collected and the present amount under the fund. It also sought information regarding the parameters that are used to give money to people from this fund and whether audits are carried out for the fund.
The Mayor's fund is an informal arrangement under which the mayor collects funds under charity and provides money to the needy such as to the survivors of natural or manmade calamities, accident victims or as educational help.
The Mayor’s office directed the applicant to get the information from the office of the chief of the Pune Municipal Corporation. The municipal chief’s office stated in the reply that as a petition is already pending in the Bombay High Court regarding the Mayor’s fund, furnishing such information under RTI could be problematic. The officials stated that they are awaiting reply from the legal department and will act according to the reply. The Mayor, on the other hand, showed ignorance about the RTI application.
However, the activists have criticised the move claiming that denial of such information goes against the spirit of the transparency act.