Bangalore Mirror: Bangalore: Thursday, February 04, 2016.
Govt asked
for explanation for failing to implement act; to review measures taken by depts.
It's been 11
years since the RTI Act was passed, five years since a High Court judgment
reinforced the act, and six years after the setting up of a state-level
committee, but implementation of the act - that calls for transparency and
accountability in governance - has proven to be a damp squib. This has led to a
showdown between the state government and the Karnataka Information Commission
(KIC).
Citing a
serial failure, the KIC, coming down heavily against the government, has shot a
missive summoning all the department heads for failing to implement even the
basics of the act.
Holding the
PIOs (Public Information Officers) of various government departments
responsible for a huge pendency of over 31,116 complaints and appeals before
the commission, it has said the non-implementation of Section 4 that involves
cataloguing and indexing details of officials and the functioning of each
department to be the root cause for pendency, leaving the public in lurch by
making them wait for years.
"Despite
10 years, no action has been taken by most departments on cataloguing and
indexing. Under Sections 4 and Section 4 (1) (b) of the RTI Act, the public
authority has to mandatorily and voluntarily disclose information under
seventeen points. This information has to be collated, put on the internet,
published on notice boards and made available to public. Hon'ble High Court
observed the same in 2010 but in vain," L Krishna Murthy (in pic), state
chief information commissioner, has said in his communique dated Jan 27.
The
commission has also said several recommendations made under Section 25 of the
act had not been implemented either. If the departments voluntarily publish the
information mandated as per the act, the appeal and complaints before
commission would fall by at least 60 per cent, thereby reducing years of wait
for the public, it has stated.
"Even as
a state-level committee was formed in 2008 to supervise the implementation and
strengthening of the act and to meet at least four times a year (that makes at least
24 meetings till 2016), only 6 meetings have been held so far," the
commission has pointed out.
This shows
the government's lacklustre attitude, a secretariat source said, citing the
communique. No action has been initiated under Section 26 that calls for
creating awareness and sensitising public and PIOs for speedy disposal of
information and effective implementation, the commission has stated.
Calling for
accountability to society by realising the act through effective
implementation, the commission has summoned all the heads of the state
government departments to review the implementation and initiate measures in
case they have failed to implement the act, the source said. The
department-wise review on implementation of RTI Act will take place for the
first time and will be completed in this month, a KSIC source said.
Top five
defaulting departments
* Home * BBMP
n Revenue * Urban Development * Personnel and Administrative Reforms
Info to be
disclosed online
All
tender-related documents including details of tenders, contractor, bills, work
orders and others. » Project plans and building plans pertaining to the city. »
Details of public spaces, sites, parks, play grounds. » All documents
pertaining to public private partnership agreements, audit reports, enquiry
reports, grants to private people/NGOs. » Details of foreign tours.
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