The Hans India: Visakhapatnam: Wednesday,
April 19, 2017.
Activists of
Right to Information Act (RTI) belonging to the Public Forum and Forum for RTI
staged a protest here on Tuesday holding placards demanding the Centre withdraw
the newly incorporated rules in the Act as it harm the functioning of the
activists.
Raising
slogans, the activists displayed placards stating ‘Let live RTI applicants’ and ‘Stop
amendments that suppress information’.
Speaking on the occasion, state coordinator of Public Forum Kandregula
Venkata Ramana alleged that the new rules framed in the Act are against to the
objectives and concept of the RTI Act.
Forum for RTI
state convener Y Chetana said the new rules incorporated in the Act lack
transparency and accountability. He said it is unfortunate to propose that the
RTI appeal could be withdrawn at any time before it comes for trial as it would
leads to official and political pressures on the activists. RTI senior activist
P Rama Appa Rao also spoke. Activists
Mantri Appa Rao, Kamireddy Lalitha Devi, Y Anvesh, K Balayya and others
participated.