Times of India: Panaji: Tuesday, June 25, 2013.
Declining to
set a timeframe to appoint the Goa state chief information commissioner and the
state information commissioner, chief minister Manohar Parrikar said that all
the applications received for the two posts are presently under the scrutiny of
a three-member committee headed by the chief secretary.
Speaking to
mediapersons on the sidelines of another press conference, Parrikar said the
government has received 22 applications for chief information commissioner and
29 applications for state information commissioner. The three-member committee
will scrutinize the applications and shortlist three or four names to the
government. After this, another committee comprising the chief minister, leader
of opposition and another cabinet minister will make the final selection.
Despite media requests to set a deadline, Parrikar declined to do so.
The chief
minister also refuted charges that his government was keeping tabs on RTI
applicants. The charge arises from a government circular to government
departments directing them to seek the identification documents from RTI
applicants. "Only Indian citizens can avail of the RTI act. We have found
that four to five foreign nationals have used the RTI act for their own
benefit. They have no right to do so," Parrikar said.
The pendency
of cases before the Goa state information commission swelled to 1,160. Of
these, pending appeals are 534, pending complaints are 497 and pending penalty
cases are 129.
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