Citizens & RTI activists: Useful Info in Mumbai Police RTI Disclosure on Internet

7th June 2012, Mumbai: Mumbai Police has made a genuine effort to be transparent. This PDF File is very informative for citizens and RTI activists: http://www.mumbaipolice.org/right_of_information/Right_of_Information.pdf

Useful features are highlighted in this file (i.e. same PDF file with highlights):http://tinyurl.com/Mumbai-Police-RTI-Disclosure

SEVEN USEFUL THINGS:

1)      THE LIST OF 97 REGISTERS MAINTAINED BY MUMBAI POLICE COMMISSIONER’S OFFICE on page 10-12 is very useful. RTI activists can simply ask for copy of pages of a particular register between two cut-off dates e.g. 1 Jan 2009 to 31 Dec 2011. Or they can ask for inspection of particular registers.

2)      PERIOD OF PRESERVATION OF EACH REGISTER on page 13 makes it easy to file RTI applications and reduce chances of arbitrary denial.

3)      POWERS & DUTIES of Mumbai Police Officers & Employees are explained from page 4 to 9.

4)      ORGANIZATIONAL CHART on page 3 makes the Mumbai police hierarchy clear to laymen.

5)      VARIOUS OFFICERS’ PHONE AND FAX numbers are given page 16 onwards.

6)      VISITING HOURS for citizens etc. are specified on page 88.

7)      PIOS, APIOS & FIRST APPELLATE AUTHORITIES’ phone numbers and addresses are given page 89 onwards.

This MAHARASHTRA POLICE WEBSITE also gives the official “mahapolice.gov.in” email addresses of 174 cops in Maharashtra: http://mahapolice.gov.in/mahapolice/jsp/temp/mail.jsp

[Note: I selected the email ids of 10 Mumbai police officers from this list. Four of the addresses bounced my message i.e. my emails were hopefully delivered to six email ids. Hope the cops are checking these email addresses, because many still prefer to use yahoo and gmail for official purposes!]

The Maharashtra Police website also appears to have some other useful features e.g. tracking the progress of a missing person complaint, etc. But do these features actually work? Someone will have to test it and see.

Warmly,

Krish

9821588114

thebravepedestrian[AT]gmail.com

SC wants Constitution bench to decide on FIR registration

SC wants Constitution bench to decide on FIR registration

New Delhi, Feb 28 (PTI) The Supreme Court has referred to a Constitution bench to decide a crucial legal question if it is mandatory for a police officer to register an FIR on receipt of a complaint of commission of a cognisable offence or a preliminary probe was required prior to its registration. A three-judge bench of justices Dalveer Bhandari, T S Thakur and Dipak Mishra said the issue needed to be settled by a Constitution bench in view of the fact that that there were "divergent" judgements by the apex court over the years. The bench said while in some cases the apex court had ruled that registration of an FIR was mandatory, in several other cases, it was held that the police officer had the discretion in registering an FIR as he can conduct a preliminary inquiry on the veracity of the complaint. "In view of the divergent opinions in a large number of cases decided by this Court, it has become extremely important to have a clear enunciation of law and adjudication by a larger bench of this court for the benefit of all concerned - the courts, the investigating agencies and the citizens. Consequently, we request the Chief Justice to refer these matters to a Constitution Bench of at least five judges of this Court for an authoritative judgement," said Justice Bhandari, writing the judgement. The apex court made the reference while dealing with a habeas corpus petition filed by the father of a six-year-old girl who was allegedly kidnapped by miscreants in UP's Ghaziabad district on May 5, 2008, but the police allegedly demanded money for registration of an FIR.

Jagdish K Gianchandani

Police Knocks on RTI Applicants Door

An RTI applicant Yusf Khan is reportedly being harassed by the Public Works Department (PWD) of UP Govt in Aligarh with the help of local police. The RTI activist had sought information related to horrible condition of rural roads and expenses incurred in their construction for 2009-10. He had appended a BPL Ration Card along with RTI application which the administration is contesting is "fake". It is to be noted that the information seeker claims that he is regularly being supplied ration and other items since 2006 on the same BPL Card. The Public Information Officer (PIO) instead of replying to queries, which was his duty, thought it proper to approach the police so as to harass the information seeker and warned his to desist from asking such questions.

How & Where to Complain: Friendly Guide for Problem-Solving in India

Dear Mr & Ms Activist,

All around us, people are struggling:

• Aggrieved citizens wishing to get relief from personal problems
• Victims of exploitation, ignorance and poverty trying to escape the clutches of their exploiters
• Activists acting on behalf of society or downtrodden people
• Lawyers, CAs and other professionals acting on behalf of clients

We often feel frustrated and hopeless. We blame police, courts and information commissions for being uncaring, inefficient and corrupt. Of course, there is a lot of truth in this, but…

But there is another truth which we don’t look at: We ourselves fail to properly present problems before various forums. We mix up important law points with trivial, unnecessary details. We cannot distinguish personal grievances from criminal breach of law. We fail to draw a line between private interest and public interest. And so we present a miscellaneous bag of personal problems, civil disputes and criminal complaints, plus anger and frustration. Even a well-meaning judge or appellate authority cannot make sense of such a mish-mash – and therefore, he postpones or gives half-baked judgments.

There is a simple principle that we must remember: TO GET A CLEAR OUTPUT FROM THE SYSTEM, WE MUST GIVE CLEAR INPUTS. Many problems, including lengthy pendency before courts, information commissions etc. are because citizens and activists have failed to give clear inputs.

GUIDELINES FOR COMPLAINING BEFORE ANY FORUM:

A. EXCLUDE PERSONAL PROBLEMS. Things that trouble us personally (e.g. rudeness, bullying, playing politics, making us repeatedly visit the office etc.) must be separated from the legal problems (e.g. violations of law, denial of information, refusing to perform official duties, giving orders and directions that are not as per law etc). On most forums, exclude the personal matters and talk only about the legal ones.

B. CITE THE RELEVANT LAWS & RULES. Each forum operates from a distinct set of laws and rules, and we should cite them in our complaint. For instance, the State Information Commission (SIC) exists to implement and interpret the Right to Information Act 2005, and the State RTI Rules. Also, the working of the State Information Commission is governed by the state’s Appeal Procedure Rules. Therefore, invoke the correct sections of the RTI Act and Rules while drafting your complaint or appeal. Also, follow the dictates of the Appeal Procedure Rules. Another example: the police derives its various powers from the Bombay Police Act, the Bombay Police Manual and Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). While registering the FIR, tolice refers to various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC). When we file a police complaint, it helps if we know about these things, and are able to cite sections of the law where necessary.

C. EXCLUDE POLITICAL VIEWS. Avoid making remarks like, “Congress is behind all the corruption” or “Lawless Shiv Sena elements are behind all this trouble”. You never know the political views of the judge or appellate authority; if he holds views contrary to yours, such remarks will harm your case.

D. PRIORITIZE. On any forum, you are required to give complaint or petition IN WRITING. Usually 2-3 pages will be read, with only a passing glance at other pages. So you need to emphasize all the crucial points in the main 2-3 pages. When asked to state your problem ORALLY, you will be given 2-3 minutes maximum. So come to the point very quickly to retain the attention of the appellate authority, judge etc. As this person hears dozens of cases every day and is mentally tired, you must make the matter easy to understand within the first few sentences you speak, without rambling, preaching or going into too much history.

E. SEPARATE THE COMPONENTS. We must divide the problem in our own mind -- separate it into private or business dispute, civil dispute, criminal offences, emotional trauma etc. We must apply these criteria:

(i) What has proof (i.e. proper documents) versus what has no proof (i.e. improper or no documents)

(ii) What issues have importance before law, versus what issues are important for ego reasons of showing that we are “right”

(iii) Which battles are absolutely essential to our cause (as against the battles we can afford to retreat from in order to conserve our own energies)

(iv) What points must be communicated within limited attention span (Two page-letter, Six bullet points, Subject-line or heading of Maximum 10 words, first paragraph of 100 words only. What to say in a three-minute verbal presentation. What are the first four sentences to speak after saying “Good morning”.)

(v) What aspects must NOT be highlighted, in order to avoid muddying the waters or spoiling the case

(vi) Exactly which actions of the opposite party violates which section of the law, rules etc. Give facts and figures.

(vii) Which actions according to us may be genuine mistakes, and which ones are deliberate and in bad faith. Highlight the ones that show criminal negligence, fraud etc.

(viii) How exactly we (private individuals or public) are affected by each violation. Give facts and figures.

(ix) Which fundamental rights are violated – exactly which article of the Constitution

(x) What are the regulator’s responsibilities and legal mandates

(xi) What are our “Prayers”? What directions and order doe we require from this legal forum?

(xii) What “interim reliefs” do we “pray” for? What must be urgently granted by the appellate authority or regulator to prevent further harm?

F. BE REALISTIC. No single forum can solve all our problems. And if we activate half a dozen forums all at once, we will not be able to handle the pressure of attending various hearings etc. So we should decide which forums to activate, and which ones to forget for the time being.

By their nature, many problems come all mixed-up together. We have to separate and simplify them, and understand WHICH LEGAL FORUMS ARE COMPETENT TO HANDLE THIS, AND HOW.

EXAMPLE:

Mr X and Mr Y are brothers having a property dispute. X has occupied Y’s share of the family house, which they inherited from their father. Desperate to reclaim his share of the house, Y breaks the lock and enters. X arrives on the scene and they fight. The local police station arrests Y and registers an FIR, with charges of house-trespass, attempted robbery etc. Now Y is in judicial custody.

MR Y’S WIFE APPROACHES YOU, THE ACTIVIST, FOR HELP. HER WISHLIST:

· Reliable lawyer

· Husband must get bail and come home soon.

· Husband’s name must be cleared in court.

· Her half of the family house.

· Revenge or “justice”

· Peace and an end to all her problems

· Not having to endlessly attend court hearings and pay costly lawyers.

WHAT WILL YOU DO, MR & MS ACTIVIST? If you are willing to support Mr & Mrs Y in sorting out their problems, let us analyze this problem together.

WHERE THE SOLUTIONS TO MRS Y’s PROBLEM LIE:

· LAWYER OR FREE LEGAL AID. You have to introduce Mrs Y to a good lawyer to procure bail. If she is poor and unable to pay for legal services, a lawyer must take her case on a charitable basis. So Mrs Y must be introduced to a legal aid cell. You may also have to help her financially for the bail amount

· POLICE. If the criminal offences that Y is charged with are categorized as “compoundable” (i.e. they can be withdrawn by the complainant), then X can withdraw the complaint against him. The relevant portions of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) must be understood and explained to X. If the offences are “not compoundable”, then Y needs legal advice as to what he should say or refrain from saying before the magistrate. For instance, when charged, he has the choice of whether to plead guilty or to remain quiet. The legal rights of Y, the powers and duties of the police, and the procedures followed by the police in criminal investigation and prosecution have to be clearly understood.

· OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT. If charges against Y are “compoundable”, then it may be advisable for Mrs Y to swallow her pride, approach Mr X and reach a settlement of some sort. Family elders and other respected people may invited to advise and mediate between the two sides for a reasonable solution.

· CRIMINAL COURT i.e. metropolitan magistrate’s court will decide whether or not Mr Y gets bail, and in the course of the trial, whether he is acquitted or punished. Court procedures and criminal law points must therefore be understood, and Mr & Mrs Y have to be suitably advised.

· CIVIL COURT. X is said to be in occupation of Y’s share. If there are documents to prove this, a case can be made out in civil court so that Mr & Mrs Y get back their share of the property.

· ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION i.e. ARBITRATOR / MEDIATOR. To resolve the property dispute, a formal arbitration agreement can be drawn up, and retired judge or professional arbitrator can be engaged. This may be a better option, compared to a case in Civil Court. But to bring X to the negotiation table, it is necessary that he should fear being dragged into a property dispute in civil court.

Thus we see that even a simple fight between brothers may involve many problem-solving forums. In the wider context of society – both private grievances and public interest issues -- let us look at all the forums applicable. The usefulness of each forum varies. Some are best avoided; for instance, going to civil court may take up so much time and money that it isn’t worth it! But we must know all our options before we decide.

32 PROBLEM SOLVING FORUMS:

1. POLICE and its specialized wings e.g. Cyber Crime Wing, Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Social Service wing of police, Women’s Cell, Senior Citizens’ Cell etc.

2. GOVT. AND ADMINISTRATION OFFICES. The recommendatory and decision-making powers of the Minister, Secretary of the Department etc. can be extremely useful. Each ministry and department is a forum e.g. Investors can complain against a company to Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

3. HEADS OF LICENSING AUTHORITIES e.g. Joint Secretary of Union Ministry of Information & Broadcasting for bad advertisements, Assistant Engineer Building Proposal Department (Municipal Corporation) for buildings

4. DEPARTMENTAL VIGILANCE OFFICER (DVO) of each department, bank etc.

5. VIGILANCE ORGANIZATIONS e.g. Bureau of Industrial Standards (BIS), Department of Weights & Measures, Food & Drugs Administration (FDA)

6. TRIBUNALS e.g. Income Tax Tribunal, Sales Tax Tribunal etc. (Presided over by Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (CCIT), Chief Commissioner of Sales Tax etc.

7. APPELLATE AUTHORITIES especially RTI First Appellate Authority and Information Commission

8. GOVT. REGULATORS e.g. Investors can complain to Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI). Electricity Consumers can complain to Maharashtra Elecricity Regulatory Commission (MERC). Mobile consumers can complain to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). Bank depositors and borrowers can complain to Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

9. TRADE GUILDS e.g. Advertising Standard’s Council of India (ASCI) for bad advertisements, Indian Medical Council (IMC) for medical malpractices by doctors, Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) for fraudulent practices by architects etc.

10. OMBUDSMAN e.g. Insurance Ombudsman of IRDA, Banking Ombudsman of RBI, Ombudsman of individual newpapers for fairness in reporting, advertising etc.

11. LOK AYUKTA, LOK PAL and other bodies set up by govt. to receive public complaints such as Maharashtra Corruption Eradication Committee

12. CENTRAL & STATE VIGILANCE COMMISSIONS (CVC & SVC)

13. CENTRAL & STATE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONS (CHRC and SHRC)

14. OTHER COMMISSIONS such as Women’s Commission, Minorities Commission, Child Rights Commission etc.

15. MEDIATOR / ARBITRATOR appointed by parties. (Arbitration is covered under Arbitration & Conciliation Act 1996.)

16. CIVIL COURTS

17. MAGISTRATE, SESSIONS COURT AND CRIMINAL COURTS

18. JUVENILE JUSTICE NATIONAL DESK and other mechanisms set up under Juvenile Justice Act 2000

19. HIGH COURT -- APPELLATE SIDE as authority to hear appeals against lower courts, tribunals etc.)

20. HIGH COURT -- ORIGINAL SIDE as authority to hear Writ Petition, Public Interest Litigation etc.

21. CONSUMER COURT for taking up consumer related issues.

22. COOPERATIVE COURT for matters concerning cooperative societies of all sorts e.g. housing, cooperative banks, marketing cooperatives, etc.

23. FAMILY COURT for divorce, child support and child custody issues, etc.

24. SUPREME COURT

25. CONSUMER GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL CELL of each Public Sector Unit, Public Limited Company etc.

26. GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL CELLS FORMED BY NGOs for women’s protection etc.

27. MEDIA & JOURNALISTS if your complaint has strong elements of public interest. Media helps to build up public pressure, which sometimes compels the authorities to act.

28. ADVISORS. Lawyers and experts who give legal advice, secretarial services etc. for filing complaints

29. GOVERNMENT INSIDERS e.g. MLAs, MPs, ministers etc. whose word matters, rightly or wrongly. Also retired officers etc who can put in a “friendly word” and speed up the action.

30. NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL, which exercises tremendous clout for policy decisions in public interest issues

31. LOK SABHA & RAJYA SABHA COMMITTEE ON PETITIONS, which exercise great influence in policy making in matters of public interest

32. NGOs, ASSOCIATIONS, CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE and other pressure groups help to amplify a citizen’s battle against companies or government, especially in matters of public interest

To approach any of these forums, there is a different requirement. Each issue or problem may have aspects that are relevant to one or more of these forums. Forget the limitations of these forums such as corruption, bureaucratic red-tape, pendency etc; let us first take care of our own limitations, and learn to complain in the proper ways to each forum.

YOU, MY FRIEND, ARE THE KEY TO YOUR OWN SUCCESS. Are you able to analyze the problem realistically, without too much emotion and ego? Are you able to free up enough time and mental energy from your day-to-day work for implementation of your various ideas? Are you passionate enough to devote serious time and money, day after day, week after week, year after year? Can you speak up confidently before your chosen forums for justice?

In the end, this makes the difference between winning and losing. This will determine your success in resolving private problems as well as public-interest issues.

Warm Regards,

Krish

98215 88114

HT & The Hindu: Police & Information Commissions endanger RTI Activists

Gujarat, Maharashtra not safe for RTI Activists

Hindustan Times, Mumbai: The murder of Amit jethwa, an RTI activist in Gujarat, has brought into the focus the fact that these crusaders are constantly living under danger or being harmed and killed. Interestingly, Gujarat and Maharashtra lead in terms of number of killings of such activists.

http://www.box.net/shared/26qr48kjj2

In fact, Maharashtra, which boasts of being a safe state, has had four instances of activists being murdered, the most gruesome being the killing of Satish Shetty in January in Pune. Shetty had been crusading against the local builders. Shetty was hacked to death near his house when he was out for a morning walk.

Apart from Shetty, Arun Sawant was murdered in Badlapur on February 26, Vithal Gite was murdered in Beed on April 21 and Datta Patil, an activist from Kolhapur, was murdered on May 31. Gujarat has seen two such killings, while Bihar and Andhra Pradesh have had one incident of activists being murdered.

G R Vora, a Mumbai-based activist against corruption and encroachment, told Hindustan Times that he faces constant threats from encroachers and builders. “In January, the police commissioner D Shivanandan issued a circular asking every police station to treat complaints made by activists very seriously, but nothing has been done so far,” Vora lamented.

He said that activists face danger as people from Information Commissioners’ office leak their names to people against whom they are fighting.

Additional Director General (Law & Order) K P Raghuvanshi said that state government had given strict instructions for providing security to activists.

Delhi Activists’ rally on Monday

Denouncing the death of Amit Jethwa on July 20, Delhi’s RTI fraternity has decided to hold a protest rally on Monday to call for strict implementation of laws to protect whistleblowers. Jethwa, who exposed the mining mafia via the RTI, was shot in Ahmedabad on July 20 near the Gujarat High Court.

In March, activist Mohit Sharma, a Dilshad Garden resident, had alleged that two MCD officers had threatened to murder him for having sought information under the RTI Act in connection with certain illegal construction in Shahdara (North) Zone.

Initially, the police had refused to lodge an FIR, but media pressure ensured that an FIR was lodged and the officials concerned were punished.

The Hindu: 8 RTI activists killed in 7 months

With the cold-blooded murder of Right to Information (RTI) activist Amit Jethwa near the Gujarat High Court in Ahmedabad this past Tuesday, the number of such killings of whistleblowers has gone up to eight just this year alone. The Congress-ruled Maharashtra tops the list with four killings, followed by the BJP-ruled Gujarat with two.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/article531112.ece

The murdered RTI activists were: Datta Patil of Kolhapur (Maharashtra), killed on May 31; Vitthal Gite of Beed district, Maharashtra, on April 21; Sola Ranga Rao of Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh, on April 11; Arun Sawant of Badlapur, Maharashtra, on February 26; Shashidhar Mishra of Begusarai, Bihar, on February 14; Vishram Laxman Dodiya of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on February 11; and Satish Shetty of Pune, Maharashtra, killed on January 13.

RTI activist Krishnaraj Rao points out that after every murder the respective State Government gave a standard reply: “Matter is under investigation. We will find the culprits.” He alleges that this is nothing but eyewash. In most cases, the top brass knew exactly what was going on. “By not penalising slippery public information officers and not compelling evasive public authorities to provide information, the State Information Commissioners too blunt the RTI activist's sword and prolong his battle for years, until somebody gets him in the end,” he complains.

Meanwhile, various NGOs and human rights organisations are planning to undertake a rally from ITO in New Delhi this coming Monday at 6 p.m. to condemn the brutal killing of Amit Jethwa.

Warm Regards,
Krish
98215 88114

Press Release: Cops’ odd behavior makes RTI activists ask, “What are they hiding?”

Tuesday 22 June, Mumbai: On Saturday, RTI activists’ alarm bells started ringing when a dozen cops in police van no. MH01-SA-3313 parked on Western Express Highway near Borivli National Park, behaved strangely. A posse of cops loitering outside the compound of an under-construction high-rise building belonging to matka-king-turned-builder Pappu Sawla refused to identify themselves or their superior officer. A couple of them covered their name plates with their hand when activist Krishnaraj Rao tried to note their names. They also avoided identifying the senior officer in charge of their van when asked, until the police control room was contacted.

Rao had approached the cops saying that he wanted to report destruction of a public property. The footpath that the cops were standing on was being driven over by trucks and drilling rigs entering the construction site from the highway. Rao asked the cops to check whether the contractor had any papers authorizing this. To his chagrin, the cops shied away. So much for Mumbai Police vaunted campaign asking people to be Alert Citizens!

In the midst of this heated argument (at about 11.40 pm), activist Girish Mittal, who was passing by, dialed 100 Police Control Room and gave the phone to Rao. When Rao talked to the police headquarters about the cops’ strange behavior and tried to give the phone to the cops, they refused to take it, but pleaded, “Please get off the phone, we will tell you our senior’s name”. Then one cop reluctantly identified himself as Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) S G Sarang and said he was in charge of the van. Sarang claimed that the vehicle was patrolling the highway from Dahisar to Goregaon, and had one constable each from many police stations between Dahisar and Goregaon.

Sarang then asked Rao to go with him to Kasturba Marg police station and register a complaint against the builder, to which the latter readily agreed. At the police station, however, duty officer Duduskar bluntly refused to register the complaint. (Note: Rao had approached Mr Duduskar and his boss, Senior Inspector Rajendra Thakur, the previous day. They had refused to write down a complaint, and told Rao to get directions from the municipal corporation first.)

Two years ago, activist G R Vora (98691 95785) had a similar experience near CST station when he tried to note down a traffic policeman’s name and badge number. The cop turned aggressive and nearly hauled him off to the nearby Azad Maidan police station. Only timely intervention by a very senior journalist, who was passing by, saved Vora from further unpleasantness. “Citizens are expected to produce their driving license and identification when cops demand it. So what gives cops the right to hide their identification?” asks Vora.

Activist Sunil Ahya (98200 71606) had a similar incident last year when he had an exchange with some traffic cops at Goregaon signal, and tried to read their nameplate and note down their names on his mobile. They turned abusive and threatened to take him to a police station. “It seems that policemen have still not got used to the idea that citizens can and will hold them accountable. They seem to believe that their authority entitles them to get away with anything,” remarks Ahya.

“If the cops are upholding the spirit of the law, they have nothing to fear from us,” avers Rao. “If they act suspicious, hide their names and intimidate citizens who ask them legitimate questions, what are the remedies before a citizen? Where should a citizen lodge a complaint against such behavior,” he asks.

Background information & Photos
“Sai-Iscon” construction work started on a plot (CTS no. 550, 551 and 552) that is said to belong to matka king Pappu Sawla (Also see Times of India, 20th June, page 5). This landlocked plot has no entry or exit other than the highway, and is therefore, construction is illegal as per Section 18 of Development Control (DC) Regulations. However, Section 22(5) of the regulations says that the Municipal Commissioner can order the occupants of the adjoining plot to give access. So, if Sai-Iscon is built without proper authorization to open a gate on the highway, the building will be “regularized” by using Rao’s building compound as thoroughfare, causing a nuisance. Rao phoned BMC’s 24-hour complaint line 1916 and submitted two complaints (No. 0720833366 and -68), and is struggling to get various authorities to sit up and take note of various violations.

Contrary to popular misconception that only the municipal corporation is responsible in preventing such illegalities, the police is also responsible as per the Indian Penal Code. However, because of police refusal to register complaints and take prompt action, and because of endless buck-passing between police, Mumbai’s municipal corporation, MMRDA, PWD and other authorities, builders get away with all sorts of illegalities and public-spirited citizens are frustrated in their efforts to bring them to book.

1. Photos of the patrol van & evasive cops outside construction site, taken by Rao: http://www.box.net/shared/0zaxib5i7z

2. Photos of the construction work violating numerous provisions: (i) destroying footpath near highway (ii) cutting trees (iii) carrying out piling work for foundation less than one metre away from adjoining building compounds: http://www.box.net/shared/toobodd3dk

Issued in public interest by Krishnaraj Rao
98215 88114