DNA: Mumbai: Thursday, March 03, 2016.
State chief
information commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad has created a record of sorts. In
chair for nearly three years and nine months, he has disposed off 20,000 cases
through hearing both sides and giving orders in every case.
The total
includes both second appeals and complaints that were heard from June 2012,
which is when Gaikwad took over as state chief, till today. Second appeals
figure stood at around 18,531 while complaints stood at 1,471. The figures
include only cases where hearings was given to both side in second appeal, and
complaints and orders were passed.
Shailesh
Gandhi had decided 20,400 before he retired but it also included complaints
where orders were given without hearing. "There may be around a thousand
cases where I felt hearing was not required and it would have been a waste of
time," said Gandhi.
The average
of hearing almost 5,000 appeals in a year was possible due to the increase use
of templates that weeded out repetitive work, said Gaikwad. "There are 120
templates that include case laws, sections 8 (1) (j) that relates to personal
information, time limit in which info has to be given and other Act procedures.
In the very first week I had realised that there was lot of repetition that
needed to be reduced," he added.
He said that
for reducing the pendency in commissions that is threatening the RTI Act, every
commissioner should pass an order on at least 25 appeals after hearing both
sides on a daily basis. "Else, the number of appeals will always be more
than complaints. My next target is to make my office paperless like that of
Shailesh Gandhi which I tried earlier but could not achieve," concluded
Gaikwad.
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