RTI forces BMC to admit to illegal activity in building
6 Feb, 2013A gymnasium has been in function on the second floor of 38, West Building in Sion, Mumbai. The music and noise originated in the gymnasium has been troubling the residents on the first floor of the two storey building.
The troubled residents approached an NGO to file an application on their behalf under the Right to Information (RTI) Act to know whether or not the commercial activity on the second floor was legal.
The reply provided by the building proposal department and the building and factory department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) states that neither of the two departments have issued a change of user license to the building which is a mandatory document for conducting commercial activity from a residential building.
However, despite accepting that the activities going on in the building are illegal, the municipal corporation has not taken any action against it as yet. In many cities around the country, citizens face a similar situation. RTI Act has shown a way to deal with it.