An application that prompted an action

CHENNAI: Common citizens can take heart. If your representation to the authorities concerned doesn't evoke a reply, file an application under the Right To Information (RTI) Act questioning the action taken on it. This could help as is evident from the recent experience of the residents of Varadarajapuram in Ambattur.
For about two months, the residents struggled to get a response to their representation to the local taluk office and the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) to know if there was any proposal to set up a wine shop in their area.
What the representation, signed by about 300 families, couldn't do, repeated RTI applications and appeals did. The authorities replied saying "we have considered your representation. There is no proposal to open a wine shop at the said intersection."
"We were in a panic mainly because TASMAC had set up a wine shop in a residential apartment complex in the same area five years ago. That was, however, closed down within a week following strong public protest. In this case, the RTI reply gave us relief," said N Muthukumar of Varadarajapuram.
On February 21, the residents jointly went to the local taluk office and submitted the representation and sent a copy to the TASMAC office in Egmore following unconfirmed reports that the authorities planned a wine shop at an intersection where a dance school, hospital and the main entrance of the railway station are located. But no reply came even after two weeks.
Then, on March 5, this correspondent, a resident of the area, filed RTI applications to both the authorities seeking to know the fate of the representations.
Though the applications contained 11 questions each, the officials gave a vague three-line reply saying: "No petitions have been received by this office to open a wine shop."
As nothing could be made out from the reply, the applicant appealed to TASMAC and the collectorate seeking a reply to all queries. But the authorities didn't bother and simply sent a copy of the reply they had sent earlier.
Finally, last week, the officials came out with an unambiguous reply to all 11 queries in both Tamil and English, after the applicant moved the Tamil Nadu Information Commission on the issue.