[rti4empowerment] SOCIAL AUDIT LOCAL TEAM -(SALT)

CIRCULATE

Dear friends,

Mumbai People talk about the pot holes and only complain that repairs of roads/pavement are not good. I have been doing the social audit ever since  the day these guidelines have been published. I have come to the conclusion that if  the road and pavement trench works are done as per the guidelines, the same will be both good in quality and sustainable too. It will also be value for the money spent.

If people really use properly the RTI and Section 4 inspection we all can contribute to  true spirit and intent of the RTI Act and its preamble and my experience shows that even administration participates as we will be forcing the system to work and if system is forced to work then even the non-cooperative or corrupt person has to follow and it will be very difficult for him/her to take recourse to malpractices.

Please note this does not pertain to tender works but work given at ward level and some at central level. A ward issues, on an  average, about 600 to 1000 work orders per year.

I have got the whole work redone many times in F/South, F/North wards and G/South Wards, which I could coordinate.

I generally don't put manuals on board but thought I should circulate this to bring about awareness and also provoke action as the road/pavement situation is deteriorating rapidly now.  Please spend some time to read fully the Guideline and after reading don't use this knowledge just for making  'indiscriminate and impractical' RTI applications, but rather use the guidelines for effective monitoring of the work.

If you or any person whom you know, wishes to participate in working on the Implementation of these Guidelines in their area/ward, I can assist in forming of a  Citizens Area Social Audit Local Team (SALT) and also guide the team onwards. Mahiti Adhikar Manch has started forming such groups in Mumbai and if you are interested please e-mail me at mahitiadhikarmanch@gmail.com. Please note this group formation is for Mumbai only.

For your information, recently some colleagues joined me in conducting the inspection of records maintained for trench repairs. This has convinced me of this urgent need which prompted this mail and sharing. 

Yours in service of RTI

Bhaskar Prabhu
Mahiti Adhikar Manch
9892102424

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