Nagpur Today: Nagpur: Thursday,
March 16, 2017.
When it comes
to working out RTI replies, the office of Divisional Commissioner has been
tagged as “Late Lateef.” A whopping 1200 cases of RTI are pending in the key
government department! Nagpur Division consists of Nagpur, Bhandara, Gondia,
Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts.
The 2005
Right to Information (RTI) Act was provided more teeth and made effective when
came to the notice of concerned authorities that babus in various departments
were turning a Nelson’s eye and hesitating in giving information sought by
citizens under the provisions of the Act. The RTI Act mandates timely response
to citizens’ requests for government information. It is an initiative taken by
Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances
and Pensions and the citizens were bestowed with basic rights under Section
19(1) of the Act. Under the provisions of the Act, any citizen of India may
request information from a “public authority” which is required to reply
expeditiously or within thirty days. The main aim of the Act is to bring
transparency in the working of government departments/ministries of Central as
well as State Government.
However, the
office of Divisional Commissioner has been found mocking at the RTI Act as it
is sitting idly over 1200 queries posed by citizens.
The
reason:
The day the
State Information Commissioner of Nagpur Division Gaekwad was transferred the
work of RTI has come to a standstill. Cases are pending day by day. However,
Dilip Dharadkar too the charge around a month ago giving a hope that the matter
would get streamlined and the information sought by citizens “pour in.”