Times
Now: Mumbai: Wednesday, June 26, 2019.
Over
40,000 Right to Information (RTI) pleas are currently pending with the
Maharashtra state government. As per the sanctioned number, Maharashtra
government should have eight information commissioners but only five are
employed and three posts are still vacant. This lapse has led to a huge backlog
of pleas with the authorities.
Shailesh
Gandhi, RTI activist, told Mirror Now, if the commission gives a response
within two or three months it means there is a lot of pressure. These 40,000
RTI pleas which have been pending are because the RTI is being sabotaged.
Gandhi added not all commissioners are pro-transparency as there is no method
of selecting these commissioners.
He
emphasised that the state government needs more commissioners to clear the
backlog at a faster pace. Reportedly, Maharashtra has a law which states every
complaint should be registered within 45 days of being lodged or disciplinary
action should be taken against the concerned but this is a pathetic state of
affairs in the state, he added.
The
activist demand that the process of hiring commissioners should be done on a
faster pace and the three vacant posts should be filled as soon as possible.
Mirror Now reported, the backlog of RTI replies shows the lapses in the state
governance. Meanwhile, the State Information Commissioner said that they need three
more commissioners for a smoother process.
Reportedly,
the authorities are supposed to submit the reply of the RTI plea within 45
days. Under the Right to India Information Act, 2005, strict action will be
taken against the incumbent commissioners, who have delayed the answering
process.
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