HP residents take to RTI; largely happy with results

Express News Service: Tue Mar 01 2011,

Shimla : Himachal Pradesh State Information Commission, which completed five years of its functioning on February 4, has expressed satisfaction over the level of awareness about Right to Information Act among the masses in the state and implementation by government functionaries entrusted with delivering information.

The increasing number of RTI applications in the state and falling number of appeals and complaints against Public Information Officers portrays a happy state of affairs in Himachal.

First Chief Information Commissioner of Himachal, PS Rana, said, “In the first year 2006-07 at least 84 appeals were received against 2,654 RTI applications, that is 3.2 percent. But five years hence, even as the number of applications has risen by 17 times to touch 43,835 (2010-11), the percentage of complaints and appeals is down at just 1.6 per cent (715 appeals)”. In all 74,463 applications were received in last five years.

The Commission is now looking forward to get a new head, as PS Rana retires today.

Talking to mediapersons on the last day of his tenure today, Rana said, “No doubt the state CIC has been under criticism for imposing penalties on fewer officials for delay in information, but there have actually been very few cases in which the information was denied due to malafide intention. Moreover, the objective of the act is not to penalise the officer but to give information to the applicant and overall performance of the PIOs has been good.”

In initial two years of implementation of RTI Act, the commission did not impose any penalties on officers, but from year 2008 to 2010 it imposed penalty amounting to Rs 25,000 on one PIO; Rs 37,250 upon nine PIOs and Rs 17,000 upon two PIOs, in respective years.

Replying to a question, the CIC said, “In nearly nine cases, the applicants, including private parties and government, have gone in appeal against decision of the Commission and I believe that their dissatisfaction emanates from the reason that they perceived the Commission to be a grievance redressal forum whereas its only concerned ensuring smooth flow of information to applicants”.

He also said that there were no cases of threat to lives of RTI applicants in Himachal and the commission had received no such applications for protection, except in one case, which turned out to be a case blown out of proportion.