‘RTI on Wheels’ completes one year of mobility

Nidhi Shendurnikar
Posted online: Mar 19, 2009 at 0003 hrs
Ahmedabad : ‘RTI on Wheels’, a state-of-the-art mobile van, which was jointly launched last year by the Gujarat State Information Commission, Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration (SPIPA) and Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Pahel (MAGP), completed one year of its existence in the state on March 17.
MAGP had organised outreach programs in the Civil Hospital and Azadnagar Talawadi to mark the occasion.

‘RTI on Wheels,’ which was specifically designed for capacity building and awareness generation with regard to the Act, is equipped with audio-visual equipment as well as the Internet, and has trained volunteers to solve the queries of people. Apart from video shows and discussions in the field, the mobile van has also acted as a mobile legal clinic in order to help people draft applications, appeals and complaints.

Besides this, the RTI helpline that was started in 2006 has listed an increase in the number of national calls. While 90% of the calls are from Gujarat, 10% are from other states. Out of a total of 34,071 calls, 20% of the calls are from PIO’s and Appellate Authorities. The average number of calls per day comes to around 50. The helpline has witnessed an increase in the number of calls from 7,985 in 2006 to 13,255 in 2007 to 12,831 in 2008.

Pankti Jog, a co-ordinator with MAGP, said: “We have a team of trained volunteers who guide people on queries about RTI. Our core team of volunteers consists of people who used to come to our organisation seeking RTI to address their issues. When queries cannot be solved through phone, we hold the Saturday Legal Clinic from 4 pm to 6 pm every Saturday, where a team of resource persons attends to the queries voluntarily. The clinic has attended 312 cases till date.”

Kantibhai Prajapati, a resident of Azadnagar Talawadi, said: “We had approached the chief minister, the municipal commissioner and even the Health department with issues such as bad roads, lack of street lights, poor condition of drainage lines. We have managed to file 82 applications on behalf of the entire locality in a span of two days and believe that RTI will help us resolve our basic issues.”
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/rti-on-wheels-completes-one-year-of-mobility/436254/