Applications reveal collectorates' apathy to RTI awareness

Vijaysinh Parmar , TNN, Jun 14, 2010, 11.15pm IST

KHAMBHA (Amreli): Are district administrations across the state indifferent about creating awareness on Right to Information Act 2005? A look at the utilisation of funds allocated by the state government for this purpose certainly indicates so.

This major revelation came from series of RTI applications made by activists from Khambha taluka of Amreli district to know the status of funds which were meant to be used to create public awareness of the RTI Act under section 26.

It also issued a guideline about the utilisation of funds to create awareness about the Act. The communiqué asked the collectorates to form a committee headed by the respective collector. The deadline for utilisation of funds was March 31, 2010.

"Our RTIs revealed that in most of the districts the fund was either under utilised or not utilised at all. There are districts that have not used a single rupee till end of March,'' said Yusuf Juneja, a member of Mahiti Adhikar Nagrik Mandal in Khambha.

"We started filling RTI queries on February 10 this year at all district collectorates. Interestingly, in many districts, officials started convening meetings to discuss the allocated funds with their respective officials after our queries were filed," Juneja said. Among the worst cases were Valsad, Gandhinagar, Kutch, Kheda, Anand, Navsari and Surendrangar.

In Surendranagar district, on March 16, collectors started allocating funds to mamlatdars and other district officials. "The mamlatdars were given a deadline to utilise the funds, giving them just 15 days to spread awareness. In many cases, we did not get information from the first applications. So, RTI applications are pending with at appeal level and Gujarat Information Commission,'' he added.

"We have seen that funds are either being under utilised or misused. In fact, government agencies should encourage citizens for more participation in order to create greater transparency, which will serve the objective of the Act,'' said JP Shah, RTI crusader in Junagadh.