At a time when many members of the local selfgovernment bodies across
the state are facing the threat of disqualification for the failure to
convene gram sabhas and ward sabhas, the officials of the Corporation
are playing safe by not divulging the information under the RTI Act. As
per the Panchayati Raj
Act and Municipality Act, the members of
the local bodies can be disqualified if the grama sabhas are not
convened within the time limit. The State Election Commission, which has
the right to disqualify the Local Self- Government Department (LSGD)
members for the violation of the rules, has already disqualified 39
members across the state. Interestingly, the first official to be
suspended in the state for withholding information under the RTI Act, is
from Kochi Corporation. Kerala Human Rights Defence Forum state general
secretary D B Binu pointed out that action could be taken against the
members who have violated the rules based on the documents procured as
per the RTI.
“By not divulging the details, the Corporation
officials seem to be in a fool’s paradise, believing that it could
prevent the ensuing actions after the documents are out through the
RTI,” he said.
He added that the move of the Corporation is an
absolute defiance of law. “The authorities do not have any right to
withhold a public document,” he added. The grama sabhas were set up to
involve the direct participation of the people in the democracy. To
strengthen the grama sabhas, the Panchayati Raj Act was amended in 1999
giving prominence to public participation in the decentralised system.
According to the amendment, the grama sabhas should be convened once in
three months. State vice-president of RTI Kerala Federation Rasheed,
Anappara, who sought the information under the RTI Act, has pointed out a
nexus between the corporation officials and the councillors. “The move
of the Corporation officials force us to believe that there exists an
unholy nexus. They have kept the documents which are to be made public,
under the wraps. As per the Act, special ward sabhas have to be convened
for the physically challenged. But till date, it has not been done,”
he said. Irked by the lack of response, Rasheed has already approached
the State Information Commission. “We are planning to organise
agitations before the Corporation office if the authorities continue to
turn a blind eye towards the issue,” he added. Mayor Tony Chammany said
that such an issue has not come to his notice. “I will inquire into the
matter at the earliest,” he said.
