The master plan for the new capital region is being prepared free of cost by the Singapore government. A memorandum of understanding has also been signed to this effect. But the government will not reveal the details of the MoU.
Replying to a query by an RTI activist, the municipal administration and urban development (MA&UD) department refused to furnish the details of the agreement, stating that “such information falls under the exemptions provided as per section 8 (1) of the RTI Act. Hence, the information cannot be provided.”
As per the RTI Act, there are 10 provisions under Section 8 (1) to which the state can take recourse to for withholding information.
Some of the provisions are: If the information is sensitive to the sovereignty and security of the country; information forbidden for publication by any court of law or tribunal or the disclosure of which may constitute contempt of court; information of commercial confidence, trade secrets or intellectual property; the disclosure of which would harm the competitive position of a third party, etc. However, the authorities did not mention under what provision of section 8 (1) they are withholding the information.
“Under no circumstance can the AP government claim exemption under Section 8 (1) in this instance as the master plan is for a public cause,” RTI activist TV Bhaskar Rao said.
If the government has nothing to hide, if everything is transparent and above board then why is it refusing to divulge the details of its agreement with Singapore? Are they elected representatives or kings ruling over AP?
