Thursday, August 25, 2016

Lack of transparency in SICs’ appointment irks RTI activists

The Hindu: Pune: Thursday, August 25, 2016.
The appointment of bureaucrats as State Chief Information Commissioners (SIC) in Maharashtra has irked RTI activists in the State. The government has not come out with a single advertisement to fill posts.
In a detailed letter to Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao earlier this month, city-based activist Vijay Kumbhar said, “It is observed in Maharashtra the moment a bureaucrat finishes his tenure of service, he is parked as an information officer. The post of the SIC has pretty much been the playground of bureaucrats. This is utterly contrary to the spirit of the RTI Act.”
Mr. Kumbhar said since the RTI Act came into being, the State government had received more than 130 applications for the posts of SICs. However, barring the appointment of journalist Vijay Kuvalekar as a State Information Commissioner, all other posts have been filled by bureaucrats, said Mr. Kumbhar.
Maharashtra has six SIC benches spread across Mumbai, Konkan, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur and Aurangabad divisions, with the State Chief Information Commissioner sitting in Mumbai.
The function of the commissioners involves hearing second appeals while deploying quasi-judicial powers to implementation of the Act in a transparent manner.
Mr. Kumbhar said, “Provisions under Sections 12 and 15 of the Act clearly stipulate that SICs be persons of eminence in public life with wide experience and proficiency in the fields of law, science and technology, journalism, management and social service among others.”
State Chief Information Commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad has come under sharp criticism from activists in March this year after he decided to go on three unauthorised vacations while there was a massive pendency of 33,000 second appeals.