Latest news with #RTI
Hans India
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
People urged to be aware of RTI Act
Visakhapatnam: The Right to Information Act (RTI) gives people the right to question the government and provides a mechanism for ensuring accountability and transparency in governance, said RTI Human Rights South India chairman Baygani Sanni Krishna (Alpha Krishna). Speaking at the state-level RTI Human Rights Activist Associations general body meeting held here on Saturday, the RTI Human Rights South India chairman informed that the organisation would fight for the problems of the people and they can approach the RTI Human Rights members to seek justice. He said that RTI plays a key role in the protection of human rights. Krishna appealed to the people to be aware of the RTI Act as it has several benefits, including promoting transparency and accountability in the governance, empowering citizens, and reducing corruption. The Act allows access to seek information of all the government departments, Krishna added. RTI Human Rights South India chairman underlined that the Act aids in bringing down corrupt practices. As part of the programme, identity cards were distributed to several RTI members.
Time of India
16 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
43 Noida condos lack pollution board nod to operate STPs
Noida: An RTI reply has revealed that 43 group housing societies in the city lack the mandatory consent to operate (CTO) for their sewage treatment plants (STPs). CTO is a mandatory authorisation issued by the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act. It permits industries, commercial establishments, and group housing societies to operate their facilities while ensuring that their emissions, effluents, and waste management systems comply with environmental standards. Amit Gupta, a resident of Prateek Wisteria in Sector 77, had filed an RTI application on April 29 asking the pollution control board for the list of societies without CTOs, the action taken against them, fines imposed and recovered, and the names of those societies against which cases were filed in the Special Pollution Court in Lucknow. In its reply dated May 20, UPPCB stated that 43 group housing societies did not obtain the required CTO for their STPs. The list included prominent names such as Lotus Boulevard, Supertech Capetown, Sikka Karmic, Logix Blossom County, Antriksh Golf View, Ajnara Grand Heritage, Prateek Wisteria, NRI City Homes, and Logix Blossom Zest, among others. As per the reply, prosecution proceedings have been initiated against 34 of the identified societies. Of these, environmental compensation amounting to Rs 27 crore has been imposed on 30. Notices were sent to the rest. However, the board stated it had no data in its records on how much of the fines were actually recovered. The current status of these cases in the special court was not available with the office. Lack of CTOs does not necessarily mean that societies do not have functional STPs. On the other hand, in some cases, it may also indicate that societies never had STPs to begin with. Additionally, many of them lack Occupancy Certificates (OC) and Completion Certificates (CC), pointing to a major procedural failure. For example, Gupta's society, Prateek Wisteria, does not have a CTO but has had a functional STP since 2019. "A large number of societies do not have CTOs to operate STPs, which suggests that occupancy and completion certificates were issued without the Authority verifying the status of STPs. Of these 43 societies, about 60%-70% are located in sectors 74, 75, 76, 77, and 78. Many of them cannot even install STPs now due to lack of space within the premises and insufficient funds, as the builder has already handed over the project. The Authority should intervene and lay a separate sewage pipeline connecting these societies to the nearest operational STP in Sector 50," Gupta told TOI. Pointing out the lack of coordination between the UPPCB and the Noida Authority, Gupta stated, "The Authority and the pollution control board are not working together on this issue. They conduct inspections separately and impose fines independently. Often, they are not even aware of each other's actions. Also, the responsibility of establishing STPs and obtaining CTOs lies with the builder, as per the law. It is not the responsibility of the AOA. " Meanwhile, Noida Authority officials said they are monitoring societies flouting environmental norms. Noida CEO Lokesh M said, "OC/CCs are issued after checking whether societies have facilities such as STPs, fire safety, and lift clearances. It is more of an operational issue, as the societies fail to run these facilities properly after homebuyers start living there. The Authority takes action as public health is at stake. However, it is the pollution control board's primary responsibility to impose fines and take legal action. As far as the Authority is concerned, we will continue with our enforcement drive." In a recent drive, the Authority took action against eight societies that either lacked functional STPs or were discharging untreated sewage into open drains, bypassing norms that require treated water to be released into sewer lines. These included RG Residency in Sector 120, Sikka Karmic in Sector 78, Lotus Boulevard in Sector 100, Lotus Panache in Sector 110, Purvanchal Royal Park in Sector 137, Aims Max Gardenia in Sector 75, Prateek Stylome in Sector 45, and Amrapali Silicon City in Sector 76. The drive also extended to Maharishi Ashram near Lotus Panache. The Authority wrote to the registrar of firms, societies, and chits in Meerut seeking cancellation of registration for both the Ashram and the Panache society. However, the Allahabad High Court stayed coercive action against RG Residency. Noida officials said that an environmental cell has been formed to verify whether STPs have been installed. The cell has been asked to compile data on STPs in all group housing societies. As per rules, all residential societies with a floor area of 20,000 sqm or more must have an STP. No new OC is currently being issued without verifying the CTO for the society's STP, officials added.
The Herald
a day ago
- Business
- The Herald
Truck driver arrested after being found more than 20 times over legal alcohol limit
KwaZulu-Natal Road Traffic Inspectorate officials have arrested two alleged drunk drivers including one who was found to be more than 20 times over the legal limit. The transport and human settlements department said the RTI team working with police arrested a truck driver for drinking and driving in Van Reenen along the N3 on May 17. He blew 2.0mg/1000ml, which is 20 times more than the legal limit of 0,10mg /1000ml. He was arrested and charged by Ladysmith police and is expected to appear in court on August 18. A second driver who was also arrested on Friday for allegedly driving under the influence in Van Reenen is being held in the Ladysmith police cells. The driver allegedly blew 0.32 mg/1000ml which is three times more than the legal limit. MEC Siboniso Duma said nine victims of a horrific accident involving a truck in Empangeni along the N2 were recently buried. 'Families lost their loved ones and breadwinners, with children becoming orphans as a result of one reckless truck driver. 'In my meeting with senior management last Monday, I mandated our RTI team to strengthen their no nonsense, zero tolerance and Alufakwa campaign on our roads. We undertake to clamp down on bad behaviour in all corners of our province. 'In particular, we are paying more attention to trucks because, more than any vehicle, trucks can damage more vehicles at once and their accidents can lead to serious injuries because of the impact.' He said road networks being constructed, rehabilitated and repaired should not be playgrounds for 'irresponsible drivers'. Duma said road accidents cost the South African economy more than R164bn annually, an equivalent to 3.4% of the country's GDP. In addition, the Road Accident Fund (RAF) paid out more than R45.6bn in claims in the 2023-2024 financial year. TimesLIVE
TimesLIVE
a day ago
- TimesLIVE
Truck driver arrested after being found more than 20 times over legal alcohol limit
KwaZulu-Natal Road Traffic Inspectorate officials have arrested two alleged drunk drivers including one who was found to be more than 20 times over the legal limit. The transport and human settlements department said the RTI team working with police arrested a truck driver for drinking and driving in Van Reenen along the N3 on May 17. He blew 2.0mg/1000ml, which is 20 times more than the legal limit of 0,10mg /1000ml. He was arrested and charged by Ladysmith police and is expected to appear in court on August 18. A second driver who was also arrested on Friday for allegedly driving under the influence in Van Reenen is being held in the Ladysmith police cells. The driver allegedly blew 0.32 mg/1000ml which is three times more than the legal limit. MEC Siboniso Duma said nine victims of a horrific accident involving a truck in Empangeni along the N2 were recently buried. 'Families lost their loved ones and breadwinners, with children becoming orphans as a result of one reckless truck driver. 'In my meeting with senior management last Monday, I mandated our RTI team to strengthen their no nonsense, zero tolerance and Alufakwa campaign on our roads. We undertake to clamp down on bad behaviour in all corners of our province. 'In particular, we are paying more attention to trucks because, more than any vehicle, trucks can damage more vehicles at once and their accidents can lead to serious injuries because of the impact.' He said road networks being constructed, rehabilitated and repaired should not be playgrounds for 'irresponsible drivers'. Duma said road accidents cost the South African economy more than R164bn annually, an equivalent to 3.4% of the country's GDP. In addition, the Road Accident Fund (RAF) paid out more than R45.6bn in claims in the 2023-2024 financial year.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Delhi HC seeks Centre's reply on plea alleging unlawful data access in Patent Office
The Delhi High Court on Friday (May 30, 2025) directed the Centre to file its response to a plea by the All India Patent Officers' Welfare Association (AIPOWA), which seeks a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into alleged unlawful access of sensitive unpublished data in the country's patent and trademark offices by a private multinational company. 'What's going on in the Patent Office?' remarked Justice Sachin Datta at the outset of the hearing. The court noted that the plea raised a 'valid allegation' but suggested the matter could be pursued as a public interest litigation (PIL). However, counsel for the petitioners, advocate Gyanant Kumar Singh, clarified that the association members were serving officers in the same office and, therefore, could not declare that they had no personal interest in the matter — an essential requirement for filing a PIL. Taking the matter on record, the court observed in its order, 'It is alleged that a private multinational company has been given unbridled access to sensitive data without requisite checks and balance. Petitioner[s] seek that an appropriate investigation be conducted in the matter. Let a reply be filed.' The matter has been posted for further hearing on August 29. In its petition, AIPOWA has sought a probe into how sensitive, unpublished information related to pending patent and trademark applications was allegedly accessed by representatives of Kaizen International, a private multinational firm, without proper authorisation. The plea claimed that Kaizen is a multinational company with clients in various industries and fields 'where trade secrets and innovations are coveted assets.' It cautioned that access to data in patent and trademark offices by Kaizen 'may have compromised the functioning of Intellectual Property offices, requiring investigation and measures to tackle the fallouts.' The Association represents Group-A patent officers who perform quasi-judicial functions relating to the grant of patents. The Association said the office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (CGPDTM) initially denied, under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the existence of any document with regard to work being executed by Kaizen. It was only after a Capacity Building Commission (CBC) report referred to Kaizen's role that the CGPDTM furnished a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) dated March 6, 2023. The MoU—signed by the CGPDTM, CBC, and the Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS) Foundation—mentioned coordination with the Kaizen team for 'process improvement.' The plea stated that while Kaizen International was not a party to the MoU, the agreement 'opened doors for it without any tendering process by stating,' adding that the MoU was signed by Controller General Unnat P. Pandit as the head of the CGPDTM without the requisite approval of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
