Indian
Express: Pune: Sunday, 18 October 2015.
Even as Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on Friday stressed the need for transparent, timely and
trouble-free information access in his speech at the national convention in New
Delhi to mark 10 years of RTI Act, activists say the apathy of central and
state governments in ensuring effectively implementation of the Act continues
to be a problem.
However,
despite the “negativity” shown by the officialdom, the enthusiasm among RTI
activists and applicants has “remained unaffected” in a decade of the existence
of the Act.
In states
like Maharashtra or in cities like Pune, the RTI Act continues to be what
activists describe as the “potent tool” in their hands to get information and
justice.
Things,
however, are not as rosy as RTI activists and applicants would like them to be.
Officials seem to be sparing no effort to deny information to the RTI
applicants. Either the information is delayed or partially given, or is given
in such a manner that an average applicant is left befuddled while trying to
make sense of what has been provided and what was sought.
This, say top
RTI activists, is a countrywide phenomenon. Also, the RTI Act is diluted by the
rising pendency of second appeals made before the State Information
Commissioners, besides denial of information and delays.
In
Maharashtra, till Friday, over 24,000 second appeals have been pending. In
Pune, 6,500 appeals have been pending before the single-judge SIC bench.
Raviraj Phalle, Deputy Secretary at the SIC
bench, said,”Delay in information is not a major problem as the officials
fearing penalty provide information within the stipulated time. But we have
noticed that applicants do not get the kind of information they are looking
for. Incomplete or improper information is provided, which results in appeals,”
he said.
Acknowledging
that there was high pendency of cases, Phalle said,”The SIC bench in Pune is
doing its best to dispose of the cases as quickly as possible. In a day, at
least 30 cases are disposed of.”
Phalle,
however, said though the Act came into being 10 years ago, the Pune bench of
the SIC was set up only in 2007. “We also had problems regarding appointments
of commissioners, resulting in delay in dispensing justice,” officials at the
SIC bench said.
Vijay
Kumbhar, who heads the Surajya Sangharsh Samiti, said it was a fact that RTI
applicants were not getting proper information from bureaucrats. “Either
irrelevant information is provided or facts are kept hidden. It seems all
attempts are made to discourage and tire out applicants so that they do not
pursue the issue,” said Kumbhar.
Sachin
Godambe, another RTI activist, said threats were also common too applicants.
“An RTI activist risks his life when he seeks to unravel the truth in official
functioning. After he makes an application, he gets direct and indirect
threats,” he said.
Despite the
negative atmosphere, Kumbhar said, the enthusiasm among RTI activists, regular
applicants and ordinary citizens had not dimmed one bit. “Even threats have now
deterred activists,” he said.
.JPG)
.JPG)
