Kashmir Reader: Srinagar: Tuesday,
March 21, 2017.
Compliance
with the J&K RTI Act requiring more and more proactive disclosure of
information is still not satisfactory in a majority of the public authorities
in J&K, reveals a study released at the commencement of the ninth year of
implementation of the Act in the State.
As per a statement issued here, a preliminary
report on the findings from rapid study of compliance of public authorities
with section 4(1) (b) of J&K RTI Act was released at the event “Celebrating
13 years of Right of Information in J&K” on Monday. The event was organised
by J&K RTI Movement and Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), New
Delhi at the Institute of Management, Public Administration and Rural
Development (IMPA), Srinagar.
The report was prepared by Adv Syed Iram
Quadri and Adv Bilal Ahmad Bhat of J&K RTI Movement and School for Rural
Development and Environment and John Mascrinaus and Venkatesh Nayak from
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. This is the first such research done by
the J&K RTI Movement since the beginning of the RTI era in J&K.
Ghulam Rasool Sofi, former State Chief
Information Commissioner lamented that there is no provision for penalising any
officer in a public authority for not complying with the proactive disclosure
requirements under the RTI Act. He urged the activists to campaign for
amendment to the J&K RTI Act to ensure timely filling up if vacancies in
the Information Commission.
Dr Shaikh Ghulam Rasool, Chairperson J&K
RTI Movement introduced the objectives of the event and said J&K RTI
Movement is keen to enhance the implementation of proactive disclosure
throughout the state of J&K. He said in two districts we have already
started and will further carry out the required research in this regard.
Mufti Islah, senior journalist and Bureau
Cheif CNN-IBN appreciated the J&K RTI Movement saying he has travelled to
far-flung areas of J&K with the said Movement and has seen the grassroots
activists actively using RTI on ground. He said many stories have come to the
fore with RTI requests that had a widespread impact.