Building plans approved by BMC no longer under RTI - SIC
22 Nov, 2013
The Maharashtra State Information Commission (SIC) has passed an order stating that information about the building plans approved by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will not be available under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The order has been issued under Sections 19(8)(C) and 25(5) of the RTI Act after there were appeals and complaints regarding security concerns due to disclosure of building plans. The CIC expressed concerns over such vital information going in the hands of anti-social elements and even terrorists.
The SIC directive will be applicable to all municipal corporations and councils in the state. The public buildings included in the order are all government and semi-government offices, hotels, gymkhanas, hospitals, malls, IT and commercial buildings. Information regarding private buildings will not be provided unless the applicant proves that it is in the greater public interest.
However, the SIC said that a prospective buyer has all the right to know about the legality of their flats and if the buyer feels cheated regarding the information provided to him by the builder, he can request the information under RTI.