Greater Kashmir: Srinagar: Tuesday, February 09, 2016.
Officials
designated as Public Information Officers (PIOs) under Right to Information Act
(RTI) to assist in dissemination of information have failed to use name plates
for easy accessibility to public.
Most
government departments have not fixed nameplates and designation on the office
doors of these PIOs. The ‘omission’ causes inconvenience to information seekers
in locating and accessibility to these PIOs office.
The
institutions including various city and district hospital, Directorate of
Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, Public Service Commission, Service
Selection Board, Directorate of School Education, Geology and Mining, Handloom,
Horticulture, Transport, Tourism, JKPCC, JKPDC, J&K Board of School
Education, Directorate of Health Services, Directorate of Rural Development and
DG Accounts & Treasuries, Information Technology and others have not fixed
nameplates at door offices of PIOs.
In absence of
these plates, the information seekers feel it hard to find the officer. “An
individual has to ask other officials in departments as who is PIO. The
officials sometimes are themselves unaware as which official has been
designated as PIO,” said Sajad Ahmad, who was in Tehsil office Panthachowk to
file an RTI application.
He added that
he had to visit every room in the office to find the PIO. “It was after long
efforts that I came to know concerned Tehsildar has been designated as PIO and
I have to file my application before him,” he said. The information seekers
said that not fixing name and designation plates on PIO’s office doors amounts
to denial of information itself.
“The
officials who are supposed to provide information to public under RTI act have
hidden themselves. In fact, the office of PIO must not have only name and
designation but the banners, posters and hoarding also to aware general public
about the act and its benefits,” said Muhammad Ashraf, who was in Tehsil Office
Srinagar, to seek information about flood relief, under the Act.
The
authorities though have made available information and contact numbers of PIOs
on their official website but the information seekers said that nameplates and
designation are more important on PIO office doors to locate them easily.
“Public authorities need to understand that government is for the people and
the activities, funds, schemes, information etcetera of the government is for
the people. Hence should make locating PIOs office easier. The RTI Act is for
dishonest officers, and such officers will hide or try to hide,” said Abid Gul,
an RTI activist of Habba Kadal.
“The
seriousness with of authorities in implementing the RTI Act in state can be
gauged from the fact that they have not installed any display board in
departments or in offices which gives information about the contact person for
the RTI.
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