In the season of scams and collusion of the powerful, it should surprise nobody if a poor farmer, whose land was acquired by the Delhi government 18 years ago, is still searching for the elusive, alternative plot promised to him.
However, one man was surprised — in fact, shocked — that the system could work “so unfairly and unjustly” towards the “disempowered citizenry.”
Central Information Commissioner Sailesh Gandhi, who heard the case of Bir Singh at a Right to Information hearing, was so anguished by the farmer's plight that he made this recording on December 30: “The Commission realises that this old, barely literate complainant is hurt at the complete callousness of his government. He realises that his younger brother was able to get his plot by corrupt means and waits helplessly — intimidated by the bureaucracy and the government system which takes away his land, and gives him no promise of when he will get the alternative plot. This Commission is unable to help him but hopes that somebody sensitive enough in the government will realise that the poor and disempowered cannot be harassed like this endlessly…”
Mr. Bir Singh, who had knocked on all possible doors to know whether his application for alternative land had been processed, decided finally to take the RTI route. With help from his neighbour Guru Dutt, he filed an application with the Land & Building Department of the Delhi government. He had one query: When would his file be “put up” for scrutiny before the sub-committee on alternative allotments?
The Public Information Officer of the L&B Department said the case did not come under the RTI, but offered to let Mr. Bir Singh inspect his file. But since Mr. Bir Singh was unlettered, he asked whether Mr. Dutt could accompany him for the inspection. The Department refused permission, forcing Mr. Bir Singh to go through the mockery of reading a file he did not understand. He was also made to sign on a blank paper.
Mr. Bir Singh related this incident to Mr. Gandhi at the first hearing on December 13. A furious CIC wrote: “The Commission condemns such behaviour by government officers who are dealing with poor, barely literate people.” Later, Mr. Bir Singh gave Mr. Gandhi a curious nugget of information: his brother, with whom he had jointly owned the surrendered piece of land, had got an alternative plot. Mr. Gandhi immediately understood the reason for the discrepancy. His response: A stinging order with a pointed reference to “corruption.”
Mr. Gandhi told The Hindu : “I am frustrated at being unable to help. To me, this is open robbing of a poor man by the state.”
