A video-conference with the chief information commissioner (CIC) on the possibility of including private companies under the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act ended in despair for a petitioner on Tuesday.

Bakarganj resident and rights activist Zeyaul Hoda alias Chhotu had queries regarding terms and conditions to be followed for installation of towers used by telecom companies for cellphone services. CIC Satyananda Mishra told him that he would not be able to provide him any information on private telecom companies.

Mishra on Tuesday conducted the video-conference with the district unit of the National Informatics Centre. “The commissioner wanted to know the questions I had asked from the commission related to telecom companies. He also asked me as to whom I approached. I said I had first approached the commission with my queries in 2008. I also approached the President’s secretariat. Mishra said the questions could not be answered, as they did not fall under the ambit of the RTI Act,” Hoda said.

Hoda said: “After the intervention of the President’s secretariat, the commission fixed the date of the video-conferencing to discuss the possibility of including private companies under the ambit of the RTI Act. But today’s (Tuesday’s) conversation with the commissioner ended in misery and there is very little hope of getting information on the private telecom companies.”

District informatics officer Ahmad Hussain Ansari said: “Hoda’s conversation with the commission concluded within 15 minutes without any fruitful result. The commissioner said his questions on private telecom firms could not be answered as the companies did not fall under the purview of the RTI Act.” Ansari added: “Hoda failed to convince the commission of the importance of his questions regarding telecom firms. Hoda was probably not prepared for the topic. I think he was not well-versed with his questions also.”

Hoda had filed an RTI application before the central information commission on December 16, 2008. He had inquired about the terms and conditions for the installation of mobile towers by telecom companies.

In response to these questions, the commission had said it could not divulge such information, as the firms did not fall under the purview of the RTI Act, 2005.