[HumJanenge] CIC: Put public-private partnerships under RTI

CIC: Put public-private partnerships under RTI Anahita Mukherji, TNN | Aug 7, 2011, 06.26AM ISTts MUMBAI: Central information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi has put forth a compelling argument for placing public-private partnerships (PPPs) under the ambit of the Right to information (RTI) Act in an order passed earlier this week. Though the order pertains to a specific case in Delhi, it will have far reaching implications for the rest of the country. The Central Information Commission (CIC) recognizes PPPs as public bodies that must provide information under the RTI Act. However, Sanjeev Garg, who had sought information under the Act from the public information officer (PIO) at the Delhi chief minister's office on Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Limited (DIMTS), did not receive any reply. A submission made by the PIO to the CIC says DIMTS has appealed in Delhi high court against a CIC order that puts it under the purview of RTI. In his RTI application, Garg wanted to know the purpose of creating DIMTS, what it has achieved till date, the amount of money given to it since its inception, whether it has met its targets and what action was taken in response to CAG reports against it. The application also sought information on the BRT corridors. "It is obvious that even if the public private partnerships (PPPs) refuse to give the information by approaching courts, the government is responsible for providing the information of such PPPs. According to the Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG) auditing guidelines, transparency and accountability are crucial for the success of PPPs,'' says Gandhi's order. "It is clear that when there is a partnership of the government with private organizations, information about these activities must be provided to the citizens. Otherwise citizens will come to the conclusion that the PPP agreements are actually privatization in which citizens' assets and rights are being given away by labelling them as public private partnerships,'' states Gandhi in his order. Gandhi has asked the PIO of Delhi chief minister's office to acquire the required information and make it available to the RTI applicant.