Greater Kashmir: Srinagar: Tuesday,
April 26, 2016.
The State
Information Commission (SIC), a premier institution aimed to curb corruption in
the State through free flow of information, continues to remain headless.
The former
Chief Information Commissioner (CIC), GR Sufi, completed his term on February
29 this year while the post of one State Information Commissioner was already
vacant.
As the state
was under Governor’s Rule at the time CIC retired, it was not possible to make
new appointment due to the procedure to be followed for new CICs’s selection.
The need to appoint new CIC and another Commissioner, according to RTI
activists, is need of the hour so that people could use RTI Act effectively.
Former CIC,
GR Sufi, while speaking at a seminar at Central University of Kashmir organized
to commemorate 7 years of Jammu & Kashmir RTI Act 2009 had said that
constitution of SIC was very essential for ensuring good governance. Sufi had
earlier revealed that he spoke to Government several times to appoint Information
Commissioner after Dr S K Sharma retired from the Information Commission last
year in October.
“After retirement of State Chief Information
Commissioner G R Sufi and Dr S K Sharma, the State Information Commission has
almost become defunct and this is creating a big hurdle in implementation of
RTI Act. Lot of cases are pending before Information Commission. One
commissioner alone can't do justice with so many pending appeals and
complaints. We appeal Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti for her immediate intervention
so that these vacancies are filled as soon as possible,” said Dr Raja Muzafar
Bhat, founder of J&K RTI Movement.
Under the
provisions of J&K RTI Act 2009 the Information Commissioners and Chief
Information Commissioner (CIC) can only be appointed by the Governor when the
selection committee consisting of CM, Leader of Opposition and one Cabinet
Minister nominated by CM recommends the suitable candidate.
“The elected
government must initiate the process in the interest of public and appoint CIC
and another Commissioner,” he added. “It is very sad that the elected
Government could not short list the names of probable Information Commissioners
after Dr S K Sharma retired in October 2015. They had almost 3 months until the
death of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Syed to appoint new Information
Commissioner. But now we demand immediate appointment on these positions,” said
Balvinder Singh, Convener of Jammu-based Sangharsh RTI Movement.
Presently,
the SIC has only one Information Commissioner.
.JPG)
.JPG)
