Greater Kashmir: Srinagar: Tuesday,
February 21, 2017.
A high-level
selection panel headed by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is scheduled to meet in
Jammu on Tuesday to decide on the appointment of Chief Information Commissioner
and two Information Commissioners.
Sources told
Greater Kashmir that the panel would meet Tuesday evening to fill vacancies in
the State Information Commission which is lying defunct over the past four
months.
Former Chief
Minister Omar Abdullah and Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh are also part
of the selection panel.
Under J&K
RTI Act 2009, Chief Minister, leader of the largest opposition party in the
Assembly and a senior cabinet member to be nominated by CM constitute the
selection committee.
The CIC and
ICs are appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of the selection panel.
The State
Information Commission became defunct on November 17, 2016, when its last
member Nazir Ahmad completed his 5-year term.
It became
headless on February 27, 2016, with completion of the 5-year term by Chief
Information Commissioner GR Sufi. Another member of the Commission, Dr SK
Sharma, had already completed his term on October 31, 2015.
Set up during
the previous NC-Congress rule, the transparency panel, in the last five years,
enforced its writ and did not hesitate to summon State’s who’s who to
facilitate implementation of the RTI law.
Former Chief
Information Commissioner GR Sufi said the selection panel must ensure
constitution of a credible and people-friendly Commission.
“The CIC and
ICs must have enough executive and administrative experience because the second
party before the commission is State’s public authority. A CIC or ICs with
administrative experiences and niceties can in a better way establish the writ
of the commission and ensure implementation of the law,” he said.
He said the
officers who have mental barrier against transparency obviously were not suited
for the job.
“Those who
have perfected the art of secrecy are not fit for the job. They (CIC and ICs)
should be public-friendly,” he said.
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