Pune, 18 June 2025: While the administration of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) functions under the jurisdiction of the Urban Development Department, its Construction Department has been denying information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act to third parties by citing an unrelated order from the Higher and Technical Education Department. This has raised questions about transparency in city construction projects.

The cited circular from the Higher and Technical Education Department clearly instructs that complaints, applications, representations, or threats from third parties about the appointment of teachers in schools should not be entertained and must comply with court decisions if any. However, the PMC Construction Department has been using this circular as a pretext to deny RTI applications related to construction permissions, TDR, use of FSI, and other urban development issues.

According to Superintendent Engineer Rajesh Bankar, the department follows government directives while rejecting information requests. “Most people applying under RTI in the construction department do not have genuine intentions. Those with good intentions face no issues,” he said. This blanket denial has led to public outrage, with many citizens questioning the department's accountability.

MNS General Secretary Hemant Sambhus criticised the practice, stating that municipal officials routinely deny information on the pretext of third-party confidentiality without citing relevant provisions of the RTI Act, 2005. He emphasized that all information held by the Municipal Corporation is public and should be accessible under RTI unless protected by law.

Meanwhile, the misuse of RTI by certain groups to extort money remains a genuine concern for officials. However, citizens argue that instead of misapplying unrelated government circulars, authorities should address extortion through legal channels. Denying information outright hampers transparency and impacts common citizens seeking legitimate details about constructions in their neighbourhoods.