Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board asks RTI activist to get police permission to access information

Official says the information was denied as she feared it would be misused

C Shivakumar

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board denied information to a RTI activist stating that he has to get police permission to get the information under the Right to Information Act.

R Anbuvendhan, coordinator of All Slum Residential Welfare Associations Federation and RTI activist told Express that he is being made to run pillar to post by the Community Development wing officials after he had sought information pertaining to list of those facing eviction following the Port-Maduravoyal Elevated Expressway project by the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board under RTI act’s section 7 (1) clause.

“As per the section 7 (1), the RTI information pertaining to livelihood affected persons should be provided within 48 hours but till now I was not provided the information. Departments like Water Resource Organization of Public works Department, Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority and Chennai Corporation were prompt in giving the information,” he said while providing the RTI documents to Express.

Anbuvendhan said that on March 25 he filed the RTI seeking the list of project implementation area under the Chennai-Maduravoyal Elevated Expressway project besides list of hutments, commercial complexes that will be evicted and a copy of the documents. He also sought details on the resettlement schemes for the evicted persons.

But no reply was given for more than two months I was being made to run from pillar to post and denied the information. First they said they did not possess the information and when I complained to the TNSCB secretary, I was told by Chief Community Development Officer Kanakadhara that Maduravoyal-Chennai Port Elevated Expressway issue is before the court as such the information would not be provided.

“When the departments involved in the case, National Highway Authority of India and Water Resources Organisation of PWD have furnished the information within 48 hours of my filing the RTI, officials from Community Development in TNSCB, which include Chief Community Development Officer Kanakadhara and Community Officer Bhaskar have denied me the information citing that the case is before the court,” said Anbuvendhan

After this Anbuvendhan appealed to the appellate authority seeking the information and also demanding action against the officials for denying the information. After this he got a letter asking him to visit the department to peruse the files. “After going through the files, I wanted the copies of the files and asked the officials to furnish them,” he said.

To this, the TNSCB filed a reply that if I want the list of those evicted, I should get a concurrence letter from the police that I will not misuse the information. “Where in the RTI Act is it written that I should get police certificate to get the information,” wondered Anbuvendhan.

When Express contacted Kanakadhara, the official defended the decision stating that she feared that the information would be misused. “The higher ups wanted the police clause to be included. We had a similar issue in Nochikuppam where the information was misused,” she said