How many cups of tea have you drunk? Queries that Delhi Police receive


Posted on 3rd Jan 2015 06:17 pm by ram kishor

New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) How many bullock cart tracks are in Delhi? How many trees in the capital are green and how many are dead? How many cups of tea are consumed by the police personnel? These are just some of the frivolous and "unreasonable" queries asked of the Delhi Police through what is clearly a misuse of the RTI (right to information) Act.

The Delhi Police RTI Cell, established in 2005, has received 152,600 applications over the past five years. In 2014, till September, the number was 15,803. In the previous year, over 30,000 applications were received by the force, according to official data accessed by IANS.

Interestingly, most of the applications are "unreasonable" and "illogical" and some downright ridiculous, officials working in the cell said.

"This is really a very good tool to fetch information which is beneficial for an individual or society. But many are misusing it. Some are frequent RTI applicants and they often ask questions that are neither related to our department nor pertaining to other departments," an officer associated with the Delhi Police RTI Cell told IANS on condition of anonymity.

In one instance, an applicant sought information on the number of cups of tea consumed by policemen in a particular district. "Such information cannot be accessed," he said. Another application sought information on the number of bullock carts in Delhi and their travel paths.

Apart from English and Hindi, applications in Marathi and Bengali were also received this year.

The Right to Information Act was enacted in 2002 for citizens to request information from a public authority - for a fee of Rs.10. Replies have to be expedited or filed within 30 days.

The Delhi Police RTI Cell has 12 staffers for compiling the applications and sending them to the unit of the police concerned. The unit is headed by a Deputy Commissioner of Police and operates from the Police Headquarters in central Delhi.

Applications seeking the First Information Report on the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and the caste and religion-wise composition of the police personnel have also been received.

Besides, the status of a case being investigated and matters related to transfers and postings are sought by people. Sometimes service officials also file an RTI application seeking the reason for not getting an off day from the office.

A total of 44,930 applications were received in 2010, 34,384 in 2011 and 27,301 in 2012, the data said.

(Alok Singh can be contacted at alok.s@ians.in)

0 Like 0 Dislike
Previous news Next news
Other news

Suryakumar Yadav jumps 44 places in ICC T20I rankings, reaches top-5 for the first time

In the ICC T20I Rankings, Indian batsman Suryakumar Yadav has made his place in the top-5 of the

SC Notice on plea for Compulsory Moral Science in Schools

New Delhi, Feb. Feb 2 (IANS) The Supreme Court Monday issued notice to the central government o

Pollution: Breathing of Delhiites in trouble due to poisonous air, and air quality again in the severe category; Know AQI

The air quality in the country's capital Delhi is worsening. Due to this, the people of Delhi are

Mandi Lok Sabha Election Result 2024: Kangana became 'Queen' in the first election itself, Congress was defeated; Vikramaditya suffered a crushing defeat

Bollywood queen Kangana Ranaut has made her mark in Mandi parliamentary constituency. Kangana has

Chinese come every year, return after getting beaten up: Chinese army hoodlums and street goons, former Army Chief Naravane on Tawang clash

On the skirmish with the Indian Army in Tawang, Arunachal, former Army Chief General MM Naravane

Amit Shah, who reached Karnataka on a two-day visit, will be involved in the program for the birth anniversary of Shivakumara Swamiji.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is off on a two-day Karnataka tour. Amit Shah's visit is considered

Heavy rains and landslides cause heavy damage to Jammu and Himachal. Thousands of trucks carrying fruits and vegetables are stranded due to the closure of the highway

This time the monsoon is raining like a havoc. From the mountains to the plains, the rain has dis

Corona vaccine will not be available in medical stores, the government told how many positives after taking the vaccine

Amidst the uncontrolled Corona pace in the country, the Union Health Ministry said that 146 distr

Sri Lanka releases 54 Indian fishermen

Chennai, March 24 (IANS) Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Tuesday ordered the relea

200 Crore Covid Vaccine dose: PM Modi wrote a letter to health workers, congratulated for the historic achievement

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated all the health workers on reaching 200 crores of t

Sign up to write
Sign up now if you have flare of writing..
Login   |   Register
Follow Us
Indyaspeak @ Facebook Indyaspeak @ Twitter Indyaspeak @ Pinterest RSS



Play Free Quiz and Win Cash