Business Standard: Mumbai: Friday,
April 29, 2016.
Former
Central Information Commissioner and RTI activist Shailesh Gandhi has launched
a campaign to put pressure on the Maharashtra government to effectively
implement a decade-old law that deals with improving governance and providing
getting better services.
Speaking with
PTI today, Gandhi said, "What can you do to make Government officials
accountable to discharge their duties in a time-bound manner? RTI Act alone is
not enough. We now have to work together to make Act 21 of 2006
effective."
The
Maharashtra Government Servants Regulation of Transfers and Prevention of Delay
in Discharge of Official Duties Act is also known as the Act 21 of 2006 and
Delays and Transfers Act.
Gandhi, who
is now guiding citizens in using RTI responsibly, said, "This Act has the
same potential as RTI for getting better services, governance and
accountability for citizens. Though an enforceable law, it has not served its
purpose because of ignorance of the lawmakers and apathy of government
servants."
Gandhi was
the first activist to become Central Information Commissioner (CIC) in 2008 and
cleared a record number of RTI appeals. He continues to evangelise RTI and Act
21 of 2006 after his stint as CIC.
"I am
trying to reactivate the campaign to get government to implement this useful
Act and tomorrow I will be conducting the first of a series of workshops for
this," the engineer- turned-activist said, adding he was also collecting
data on non-compliance of the law.
Gandhi
appealed to citizens and fellow activists to come forward and list the instances
of non-compliance of the Act.
"I have
asked people who may have used this law to register their success or failure.
The idea is to collect adequate data in the next few months and then confront
Government. If that doesn't work we will go to court," said the IIT-Bombay
graduate.
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