The Indian Railways has tightened norms for Zonal Railways furnishing information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act after a controversy over cost of selfie points installed at railway stations. Under the new rules, all replies must be cleared by General Managers of Zonal Railways or Divisional Railway Managers.
The Hindu reported on December 27, 2023 that each permanent selfie booth with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image cost ₹6.25 lakh while each temporary selfie booth cost ₹1.25 lakh, which is the approved cost by the Central Bureau of Communication under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The information was furnished by the Central Railway in response to an RTI query.
In an advisory dated December 28, 2023, sent to General Managers of all Zonal Railways, the Railway Board said it had been observed of late that the “quality of replies to RTI applications handled by Zonal Railways and other field units had deteriorated”.
“Timelines for disposal of RTI applications were surpassed in many cases resulting in a large numbers of appeals filed before the First Appellate Authority or the Central Information Commission, not only increasing the quantum of work but bringing disrepute to the organisation,” it said.
To address the issue, it had been decided that timelines for disposal prescribed in the Act should be adhered to without fail. To maintain the quality, replies to all RTI applications would henceforth be approved respectively at the level of the General Manager (GM) in Zonal Railways and Divisional Railway Managers (DRMs) in the Divisions. “Similarly, replies to first appeals received under the RTI Act need to be shown to the GM and DRM concerned,” the advisory said.
The Railways had nominated a Public Information Officer and Chief Public Information Officer under provisions of the RTI Act, 2005, to provide information sought by petitioners. General Managers or Divisional Railway Managers have no role as appellate or competent authority as per the Act, sources in the Southern Railway said.
The information at the centre of the row was shared by the Deputy General Manager of Central Railway, Abhay Mishra, while responding to an RTI query by former railway official Ajay Bose. After Mr. Mishra shared the information, his senior, Central Railway’s Public Relations Officer Shivaji Manaspure, was shifted out after seven months in the post. Usually, the post is occupied for a period of two years.
Reacting to media reports about Mr. Manaspure’s transfer, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to X and stated, “Shahenshah ki raza, sach ka inaam saza” (King rewards truth with punishment).
However, senior railway officials sought to dispel rumours linking his transfer to the RTI reply, and maintained that it was due to operational reasons. The revised guidelines had nothing to do with the RTI response, a railway official who did not want to be quoted, said.
Officers in Southern Railway’s Public Relations Department could not be reached for their comments.
“RTIs filed to seek response on expenditure incurred [on the 3D booths] from Southern, Western and Northern Railways did not elicit any response”, Mr. Bose told The Hindu.
