The Hindu: Kerala: Saturday,
January 21, 2017.
Manned by a
single commissioner and saddled with a backlog of around 1,200 Right to
Information (RTI) applications, the Kerala State Information Commission is
struggling to fulfil its function.
Applications
since 2011 have been pending at the commission, which is facing a shortage of
five commissioners.
25
applications a day
According to
Chief Information Commissioner Vinson M. Paul, the commission receives around
20 to 25 applications a day. As a single member can dispose of only up to 200
applications per month at best, around 300 to 400 applications are added to the
backlog every month, he said. He was speaking at a one-day seminar organised by
the commission on the RTI Act. At present, Mr. Paul is the lone member of the
commission. If all the vacancies are filled, it is expected that the backlog
can be disposed of in two years, he said. Ideally, each application should be
disposed of within 45 to 60 days, he said.
An online RTI
system is also on the cards, with the commission planning to submit a proposal
regarding this to the government. The Right to Information (Regulation of Fee
and Cost) Rules 2005 needs to be amended to introduce this.
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