Deccan Chronicle: Hyderabad: Tuesday, January 14, 2014.
RTI activists
are pleased that they will no longer have to provide addresses while filing an
application if they have a post box number to communicate.
According to
a recent order by the personnel ministry, government departments have been
ordered not to insist on an address if the applicant mentions a post box
number. This order will lessen threats to their lives, say whistleblowers.
While state
information commissioners agree with the verdict and say it is definitely good
for the applicants as it is in compliance with the law, officials say that
sometimes it is important to get details of the applicant if the nature of the
information sought is sensitive.
Stating an
example, an official said that an applicant had sought for details of Ajmal
Kasab and the money spent on his medical expenses and stay in jail. “I was
curious about the motive. The applicant comes from a colony in Hyderabad. How
was this information relevant?” the official said.
State
information commissioner P. Vijaya Babu, however, said, “Any citizen of India
or state can seek any information pertaining to every public authority and the
public information officer cannot question him or her. If they can provide a
correspondence address, then that is enough. This is an excellent protection
for citizens,” he explained.
RTI activist
Rakesh Reddy Dubbudu said that this was definitely a good decision. “People who
work hard in gathering information about scams and other sensitive stuff can
get the information without any obstructions. If we are seeking transparency,
then this is a good decision.”
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