We appreciate the efforts of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Indian National Congress (INC) led coalition for putting in place a legislation the first of its kind post Independence (1947) giving every citizen of India the Right to Information.
That this Act has been put in force today 12/10/2005 on the ocassion of Dussehra the celebration of TRUIMPH OVER EVIL assumes significance. However there are reports in some section of the audio visual and national news media that the notings on the files will not come within the purview of this Act. If this be so then this is a great blot on the objectives of the Act. We,at South Goa Public Interest Action Group (SGPIAG) a registered NGO based in Margao,Salcete, South Goa District ,with jurisdiction, at present, over the entire South Goa Parliamentary Constituency have in our humble opinion come to the conclusion that --notings on the file ---is a must without which the very basis of the Government action on any issue remains unclear. We have placed before the Chief Secretary of Goa Ms Kiran Dhingra IAS (AGMU 1975) the Chief Vigilance Officer an issue relating to the Municipality of Margao wherein it has been observed that building construction licences, revised plans, renewal of construction licences, occupation certificates, infrastructure tax and house tax was manipulated to the benefit of the developer to convert a residential premise into a power gymnasium, by fraudulently making an unauthorised unsigned change in zone (in ink) from settlement to commercial 2 zone. This was clear when several documents were found MISSING from the file when the Municipal Engineer Mr H Chandwani and the Junior Engineer Mr Kudchadkar (incidentally one is on extended term post retirement and the other is deputed from the Public Works Department and his brother now posted in the PWD (PHE Wks division IX Monte was earlier holding the same posting in the Margao Municipality) dealing with the file were asked to explain by the Chief Officer Margao Municipality in the presence of a representative of this NGO the irregularities observed with reference to the NOTINGS on the file which were contrary. Incidentally it was also observed that the South Goa Planning Development Authority had gross errors on the printed format of its Development permission issued to the same developer where the manipulation appears in ink thus violating the original development permission. This case according to this NGO clearly indicates that the CONFIDENTIALITY maintained by the dealing hands and bureaucrats is for fear of exposure of such irregularities committed by them. In the instant case it was also partially exposed that there is a close nexus between the SGPDA officials and the Municipality Technical section who "collaborate" to ensure that the "errors" are sought to be "rectified" when such information is called for under the then Goa Right to Information Act, prevalent in Goa. We have yet to hear from the Chief Secretary on the outcome of the enquiry but suffice it to state that if the notings are not made public the Act will only replicate the shortcomings of earlier State Acts & Rules on the subject. This NGO therefore calls upon the members of the public and other NGOs in Goa to demand that notings too be made available to the public under the Right to Information Act. For SOUTH GOA PUBLIC INTEREST ACTION GROUP Regd No 171/GOA/2000 dt 12.12.2000 sd/- TERENCE MAZARELO PRESIDENT (SGPIAG) 1st Flr Benlix Bldg Opp Fatima Convent Margao Goa India [EMAIL PROTECTED] weblink http://mumbai.sancharnet.in/manojnd FAX +91 832 2712430 HELPLINE (24 hrs) 9822158584 Tel +91 832 2731373 (O) __________________________________________________________ Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your partner now. Go to http://yahoo.shaadi.com
