BMC's Online RTI Facility Still Limited to Two Wards Even After 3 Years Of Its Launch

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) launched its online Right to Information (RTI) application feature on its website over three years ago. Despite this, the system is available only in two wards, which were part of the original pilot project.

In 2021, as part of their user acceptance testing, the BMC introduced the online RTI application process. The pilot included only two wards: K/West and M/West. Citizens could use the BMC’s website to submit information requests for these two wards. 

The online form allowed users to fill in personal information and select the relevant public authority. Users could also make fee payments online and attach supporting documents if required. However, the form on the website still only allows residents to request information on K/West and M/West wards.

In February 2021, a resident from Chandivali lodged a complaint with the Prime Minister's Office, criticising the limited online RTI access. The BMC responded to Khude by stating that the user acceptance test had been a success. 

A letter from the general administration department dated September 26, 2021, confirmed the initial plan to roll out the online RTI process to all departments after testing in K/West and M/West. However, three years later, the service has not been extended beyond these two wards.

In September 2024, a contempt petition was filed in the Supreme Court, accusing states and union territories of failing to comply with the requirement to have online RTI portals. Although Maharashtra was not included in the notice because it already had an online RTI site.

The state government’s RTI portal now includes many of the municipal corporations in Maharashtra. Municipalities like Dhule, Thane, Latur, Ahmednagar, Mira Bhayandar, Navi Mumbai, Pune, and Vasai-Virar are part of the state portal. However, the BMC is not listed.

The public and activists have raised concerns over this, accusing the BMC of undermining transparency. According to them, the municipal corporation still shows no signs of expanding the service to other wards.

As per a report by FPJ, Kishor Gandhi, the deputy municipal commissioner of BMC's general administration department, claimed that he was unaware of the current state of the online RTI system. He also said he had no knowledge of any plans to extend the feature to remaining wards.

The online process is simpler than the traditional system, which requires court fee stamps that can be hard to find. The online system does not require stamps, making it as easy as writing an email.