TAMILNADU INFORMATION COMMISSION

No.19, Government Farm Village, Farnpet,  Nandanam, Chennai-600 035.

       

Date of Enquiry: 07.01.2022

 

PRESENT:

 

Thiru S. MUTHURAJ, B.A.,B.L.,

STATE INFORMATION COMMISSIONER.

****

Case No.SA: 12034/D/2019 

1. Natrajan                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Appellant

Vs

The Public Information Officer

Municipal Administration and Metro Water

Fort St George

Chennai – 9

The Public Information Officer

Assistant Law Officer

Corporation of Chennai

Chennai – 3

 

The Public Information Officer

Traffic Division

Commissioner of Police

Vepery, Chennai – 7

Respondent

ORDER

1. The enquiry of these case was held at this Commission on 07.01.2022. During the enquiry the Appellant / petitioners Thiru R. Natrajan and the authorized Public Information Officers were present.
2. The Petitioner had sought information regarding ONE-WAY Traffic and FREE LEFT in Chamiers Road and St. Mary’s Road. The Respondent vide letter dated 06.01.2022 had sent a communication regarding the information sought and the steps taken to ease the traffic in Chamiers Road and St. Mary’s Road. It is been informed that the Four way Nandanam Junction is made as a way junction and vehicles moving from Pondy Bazaar and Venkat Narayana Road towards Nandanam are diverted to South Borg Road. Similarly for the congestion created by vehicles moving from Chamiers Road to Nandanam, the central median has been moved by 2 metres to ease the traffic flow. Similarly the barricades have been placed to keep the “Free left” easy for vehicle movement and a police personnel has been deployed to manage the free flow of vehicles from Chamiers Road to Nandanam.
3. During the course of the hearing it was observed by the Commission that there is no information shared to public by the Public Authority of Greater Chennai Police. It is also seen that there is no exclusive website for Greater Chennai Police to keep the public informed. Section 3 and 4 of the Right to Information Actstates that the Public have Right to information and directs the Public Authority to make all information regarding the department known to the public. Section 4 of the RTI Act reads as follows:

Section 3: Subject to the provision of this Act, all citizen shall have the right to information. 

Section 4. Obligations of public authorities.—

(1) Every public authority shall—

• maintain all its records duly catalogued and indexed in a manner and the form which facilitates the right to information under this Act and ensure that all records that are appropriate to be computerised are, within a reasonable time and subject to availability of resources, computerised and connected through a network all over the country on different systems so that access to such records is facilitated;
• publish within one hundred and twenty days from the enactment of this

Act,—

• the particulars of its organisation, functions and duties;
• the powers and duties of its officers and employees;
• the procedure followed in the decision making process, including channels of supervision and accountability;
• the norms set by it for the discharge of its functions;
• the rules, regulations, instructions, manuals and records, held by it or under its control or used by its employees for discharging its functions; (vi) a statement of the categories of documents that are held by it or under its control;

• the particulars of any arrangement that exists for consultation with, or representation by, the members of the public in relation to the formulation of its policy or implementation thereof;
• a statement of the boards, councils, committees and other bodies consisting of two or more persons constituted as its part or for the purpose of its advice, and as to whether meetings of those boards, councils, committees and other bodies are open to the public, or the minutes of such meetings are accessible for public;
• a directory of its officers and employees;
• the monthly remuneration received by each of its officers and employees, including the system of compensation as provided in its

regulations;

• the budget allocated to each of its agency, indicating the particulars of all plans, proposed expenditures and reports on disbursements made; (xii) the manner of execution of subsidy programmes, including the amounts allocated and the details of beneficiaries of such programmes; (xiii) particulars of recipients of concessions, permits or authorisations granted by it;
• details in respect of the information, available to or held by it, reduced in an electronic form;
• the particulars of facilities available to citizens for obtaining information, including the working hours of a library or reading room, if maintained for public use;
• the names, designations and other particulars of the Public

Information Officers;

• such other information as may be prescribed, and thereafter update these publications every year;

 

• publish all relevant facts while formulating important policies or announcing the decisions which affect public;

 

• provide reasons for its administrative or quasi judicial decisions to affected persons.

 

• It shall be a constant endeavour of every public authority to take steps in accordance with the requirements of clause (b) of sub-section (1) to provide as much information suo motu to the public at regular intervals through various means of communications, including internet, so that the public have minimum resort to the use of this Act to obtain information.

 

• For the purpose of sub-section (1), every information shall be disseminated widely and in such form and manner which is easily

accessible to the public.

 

• All materials shall be disseminated taking into consideration the cost effectiveness, local language and the most effective method of communication in that local area and the information should be easily accessible, to the extent possible in electronic format with the Central Public Information Officer or State Public Information Officer, as the case may be, available free or at such cost of the medium or the print cost price as may be prescribed.

 

Explanation.—For the purposes of sub-sections (3) and (4), “disseminated” means making known or communicated the information to the public through notice boards, newspapers, public announcements, media broadcasts, the internet or any other means, including inspection of offices of any public authority.

 

To The Public authorities of Greater Chennai Police

4.  It is understood by the Commission that only one website for Tamil Nadu

Police is available and that there is not separate website for Greater Chennai Police and

Traffic Division. The existing website also is not in compliance with Section 4 of the RTI Act. On the other hand other departments like Chennai Corporation has a exclusive website apart from the Tamil Nadu Government official Website. Similarly Mumbai Police and Kolkata Police have an exclusive Website apart from Maharastra Police Department and West Bengal Police Department website respectively. The Website contains information of each and every Police Station within its jurisdiction, the information about the Police Officials in-charger of each and every police station, jurisdiction of each and every Police Station, Contact information and email id of Police Officials in-charger of each and every police station. 

The Tamil Nadu Information Commission directs the Public Authority of Greater Chennai Police without delay to create a Website in compliance with Section 3 and 4 of the RTI Act along with following information:  

1. Information regarding the Police Stations within its jurisdiction
2. The location of the Station and Jurisdiction map of each station.
3. These information shall be provided apart from the online services offered by the Tamil Nadu Police.
4. The Tamil Nadu Information Commission also directs the Public Authority of Greater Chennai Police to disclose details regarding the FREE LEFT in the 471 Bus route within Chennai Corporation in the website. The Public Authority shall also state the steps taken to ease the Traffic and free flow of traffic in those routes. In the Mission Statement of Tamil Nadu Police, it has been assured to facilitate safe and smooth road use by the Citizen and in consonance with RTI Act, Every Citizen has the right to know this information.

  Sd/-(S. MUTHURAJ)

                                                                                               State Information Commissioner

               (By order of the Commission)

 

                                                                                                        

  Assistant  Registrar

 

 

 

 

 

CC TO:

 

The Commissioner of Police O/o  the Greater  Chennai  Police  Vepery – 600 007.

 

 

The  Commissioner  of  Police 

O/o the Tambaram Police Commissionerate,  Tambaram. Chennai -600 059.

 

 

The  Commissioner  of  Police 

O/o the Avadi Police Commissionerate,

Type V, Qtr No 5/1 HVF Estate,  Bhaktavatsala Puram,  Avadi, Tamil Nadu 600 054.

 

 

The  Deputy  Commissioner  of  Police 

Transportation Planning,

Traffic Division 

St. Thomas Mount,  Chennai – 600 016.

 

Petitioner:

1. Natrajan

Research Scholar

Arbitrator – (PG Diploma in ADR NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad)

Old No.50-A

Chamiers Road  Chennai – 600 028.

 

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