RTI query fruitless, says banned ISRO ex-chief Nair
01 Mar 2012
G Madhavan Nair, former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation who has been blacklisted by the government along with three of his previous colleagues last month, has again publicly slammed the government for its ''injustice''.
Nair said that his inquiry under the Right to Information (RTI) act for the official reasons for his ban from government-controlled positions had drawn a virtual blank.
"They have sent a reply which does not have any substantial matter on the reasons for the blacklisting. They have not revealed any information, citing some clause that I just can't understand. So it is as good as a blank paper. This is in response to the RTI query, which I had sent almost a month ago," he said.
"My [RTI] query was very simple. I'd asked what is the basis on which this action has been taken, what rules had applied for this, how the files was processed, and who approved the file notings. On all these things, there is a total blank. These already are in public domain. I have received about seven pages which practically convey nothing.
He would appeal to higher authorities, Nair said.
Pointing to his previously unblemished record, he told a TV channel, "I had high respect for the RTI provisions - I myself have worked for the government for 42 years. I know the role and responsibilities of the departments and the department heads.
''In this case, I'm highly disappointed with the type of answer that has been provided. If a former secretary to the government is receiving such a treatment, you can imagine what an ordinary employee of the Department of Space (DoS) will get," he said.
Nair said he was disgusted with the government's department of space as he had not been told on what grounds the action against him and his colleagues had been taken.
