Times of India: Ahmedabad: Wednesday, March 26, 2014.
RTI activists
from across the state who are on hunger strike in Gandhinagar have sent to the
chief secretary a memorandum of demands related to RTI. The activists have
demanded quick resolution of 50,000 pending appeals. They have also sought an
appointment with the governor to submit their memorandum of demands.
RTI activists
from across the state are on a hunger strike at Satyagarh Chhavani in
Gandhinagar since Monday. Members of RTI associations moved to press for their
demands which include protection of activists when needed, numbers of
information commissioners as laid down by rules, video conferencing facility
for filing appeal in collectorate and property declaration by IAS/IPS officer's
relatives.
The
memorandum sent to the chief secretary contains a 45-point charter of demands.
RTI activist Bharatsinh Zala told TOI on Tuesday that they had submitted the
memorandum in the office of Chief Secretary Varesh Sinha. "We will submit
it to the governor as soon we get an appointment with her," Zala said.
Bhupendra Patel, an RTI activist, had filed an application seeking details of
pending RTI applications before the Information Commission of Gujarat
government. "The commission said that there are 50,000 RTI applications
and appeals pending," Patel said. Though Information Commission has passed
an order in this regard, public information officers are not parting with
information sought under RTI Act. "In all these years, no senior officer
in the state has been fined for delaying information," Patel said.
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