Deccan Chronicle; Dec 24 2010,
From RTI enabled info to Wikileaks, everyone has been privy to information once considered guarded. Revelations of various kinds shook a nation from its slumber. At a time when the RTI’s effectiveness was making the rounds and if people are not being given the right information even after petitioning the authorities was beginning to cause concerns, a whole overdose of information came to light.
A. Netaji a RTI petitioner was also arrested under false charges and jailed for about six days. Reason? He filed an RTI demanding details of the Panchayat board of his area. With help from family and friends, he managed to get out on bail. Says the electrical engineer, “There are many illegal activities going on within the Panchayat and various departments and though I filed an RTI demanding the audit statement, I have not received a genuine response.”
However, politicians feel that there is an overdose of information, which needs streamlining.
We are having an overdose and an overload of information. While open government and transparency of decision-making is absolutely necessary in a democracy, it is equally important to safeguard information flow,” says Congress politician Karti Chidambaram.
According to him, tapping private conversations is not a welcome trend. All private conversations will be embarrassing. This voyeuristic nature of breaking news is not a healthy trend,” he says. However if public figures have thin lines blurring their personal and public profiles and transactions, doesn’t it require closer scrutiny?
Similarly, social activist, A. Ilayaraja, filed an RTI to access inside information about the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) finances, but even after one and half years, his questions remain unanswered. Ilayaraja says, “Not just this instance, several times I have filed RTIs for various reasons and not even once have I received a response within 30 days.”
He adds, “Though the Act is meant to do good to people, there is hardly anything constructive that happens and this is from personal experience.”Advocates feel that just like many are unaware of constitutional rights and other acts, the actual provisions of the RTI Act remain un-explored.
Says Sudha Ramalingam, advocate, “RTI as such serves its own purpose. It is not the only empowering act; it is one of the most empowering. The Radia tapes and wikileaks are scams that are out in the open through other sources. Now that these scams are doing the rounds, the officials should use the RTI act to access more information with regard to this issue.”
According to Sudha, “Though the act may ensure authorities act with due diligence, in case of corruption, public must utilise such forms of legal empowerment to clear the air.”
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