Saroj Khettry: Satisfied

The right to information (RTI) chariot has rolled into town. The first hearing on Wednesday helped redress the grievances of two elderly complainants, one seeking basic facts and the other a simple service.

If Saroj Khettry, 74, got answers to three of the five questions he has been asking the department of cooperation for 25 years now, M.G. Rawla, 76, got his driving licence renewed after the transport department had sat on it for five years.

The state information commission concluded the first day’s action by directing state government officials to be more responsible in handling public grievances and sharing information.

“The state principal information officer of the department furnished information regarding three of my queries,” said Khettry, whose struggle to find out the ownership details of the Bhowanipore co-operative society flat he had been forced to evict, was reported in Metro on October 25.

“I am satisfied with today’s development as I only spent Rs 10 to file the complaint and got so much information, while in the past 25 years, I have spent several thousands in vain,” smiled Khettry.

If Khettry left Bhabani Bhavan with a smile, Rawla returned to his Ho Chi Minh Sarani home with the driving licence he had been fighting to renew from the public vehicles department for five years.

The department had refused to renew the licence on the grounds that he had been issued the document at age 17 back in 1945, but now 18 years was the minimum licence age.

Rawla challenged this, to no avail. He brought the matter to the notice of the information commission early this year.

“On October 10, we issued summons to the transport department,” said Arun Bhattacharya, information commissioner, who conducted Thursday’s hearing.

“Rawla today informed us that he had got the licence papers on October 18 and the transport officials handed over the licence to him in front of us,” Bhattacharya concluded.