Rlys stresses stricter compliance with RTI laws

Replies to all RTI applications need to be approved by the general manager of the zone or divisional railway manager of the division and responses to appeals also need their clearance, the Railways said in a recent notification, stressing on stricter compliance with the provisions of the law.

- Vrinda Tulsian

The notification, issued on December 28, came days after a controversy broke out over the railways' response to a RTI application on the cost of selfie booths featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi at railway stations within the Central Railway zone.

On December 29, the Central Railways zone board also transferred its chief public relations officer (CPRO), replacing Shivraj Manaspure with Swapnil D Nila, who previously served as the divisional office manager of the Pune division. Manaspure, who served in the position for eight months against the official tenure of three years. The RTI was signed by deputy general manager/public information officer of the central railway Abhay Mishra.

Secretary of the railway board Milind K Deouskar issued a directive on December 28, urging adherence to the provisions of the RTI Act, 2005, in a notice to the general managers of zonal railways, production units, and divisional managers across all divisions.

"Replies to all RTI applications shall be approved respectively at the level of General Manager (GM) on the zonal railways and Divisional Railways Manager (DRM) in the divisions.

Similarly, replies to first appeals received under the RTI Act need to be shown to the concerned GM and DRM." The Central Railways zone covers five divisions -Mumbai, Nagpur, Solapur, Pune, and Bhusawal-across a significant portion of Maharashtra, along with smaller areas in Southern Madhya Pradesh and Northeastern Karnataka.