FPJ Impact: SRA Orders All 13 Sub-Departments To Submit RTI Data After SIC Misreporting In 18th Annual Report

The slum rehabilitation authority has asked its 13 sub-departments to furnish information about the applications and appeals under the right to information (RTI) act after the state information commission (SIC) misreported the data in its18th annual report.

On July 10, The Free Press Journal reported that the SIC misreported the data about RTI applications received by Mumbai SRA even after a significant delay in publishing the report. SRA’s parent body housing department claimed that it did not receive any data from the slum department.

The report, under form 2E, shows that SRA Mumbai received zero RTI applications during the year 2023. However, Mulund-based transparency activist claimed that he had filed 12 applications seeking various information from the department during that period and many of which have also proceeded to second appeals before the state information commission.

After FPJ’s report, SRA directed all its 13 sub-departments, Office of the Deputy Collector (SRA) including deputy collector SRA, operation department, public relations officer and high-power committee among others, to furnish the said information. The letter, written by the assistant administrative officer and public information officer of SRA Santosh Warankar, said that the letter has been transferred to the public information officers and first appellate officers of the sub-departments.

After the directions, one of the sub-departments furnished the records of the applications to Haria disclosing 13 applications received in the period of January 1 to December 31, 2023. However, 12 other sub-departments are yet to furnish the allow access to registers pertaining to RTIs received, disposed, and first appeals processed, which are supposed to be maintained and consolidated at the administration level.

State Information Commission’s Annual Report Published Wrong Data As SRA Mumbai Fails To Submit Data

Haria alleged contradictory statements between the SRA’s public relations officer and the housing department as the former claimed that cumulative RTI data was submitted to the latter on March 18, 2024, while the latter claimed that no such submission was received from SRA for inclusion in the 18th annual report.

“This raises serious questions on data accuracy, internal coordination, and transparency within the SRA and its reporting obligations under the RTI Act. It is surprising and concerning that the administration department, which is responsible for compiling data from sub-departments and forwarding the consolidated report to the housing department, does not have this data readily available. The information from these sub-departments is still awaited, and only once it is received can it be reconciled with what was shown in the report,” said Haria.