RTI is slowly being strangled in Maharashtra, says ex-CIC

Free Press Journal: Mumbai: Saturday, March 17, 2018.

The former Chief Information Commissioner, Shailesh Gandhi has written to the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, highlighting the fact, the Right to Information Act (RTI), a right of the citizens is being deliberately strangled. Gandhi said, the very fact the posts of information commissioners is lying vacant is enough to ensure no information is given out.

Gandhi in his letter said, “RTI is being strangled in Maharashtra by not appointing information commissioners. There is a vacancy in Maharashtra of one Chief Information Commissioner and three other commissioners. These are not being filled despite repeated reminders,” reads the letter. Gandhi says in his letter, he had sent two reminders to the CM since last eight months at least, which have gone unheeded.

“I had also brought this to your attention in my meeting with you in July and again sent a reminder in October last year. But no action has been taken,” reminded Gandhi. The importance of these regions is obvious, since Mumbai head office has no information officer, followed by other important cities. The pending applications of important matters has piled on to over thousands of cases which need replies.