Hindustan Times: Saturday, October 12, 2024.
In Chandigarh, only around 9% of RTI applications led to a second appeal, indicating that over 90% of applicants were satisfied with the government’s responses—a significant achievement, according to transparency law activists.
As the Right to Information Act, 2005, marks its 19th anniversary on October 12, Chandigarh has recorded around 1.18 lakh applications over the past decade.According to records from the Chandigarh administration, since 2013-14, around 1.18 lakh applications have been submitted under the Act. (HT Photo)
At 25%, the police department leads in the number of applications received, followed by 15% concerning the UT Estate Office.
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The transparency law, which came into effect on October 12, 2005, grants citizens the right to seek information from the government, serving as a vital tool for grievance redressal. However, the growing number of applications has extended response times and created a backlog of RTI requests.
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| According to records from the UT administration, since 2013-14, around 1.18 lakh applications have been submitted under the Act |
Specifically, 30,106 (25%) were directed to the police department, 17,014 (15%) to the UT Estate Office, 8,912 (7.5%) to the municipal corporation and 470 to the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB).
Even during 2020-21, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, a total of 12,987 applications were received, with 1,298 (10%) related to the health department. This number rose to 2,011 out of 11,238 applications in 2021-22, reflecting a 20% increase in health department requests.
RTI activist RK Garg, who has been running a free RTI helpline for the past 15 years, said the Act’s primary goal was to promote transparency by making official records available on government websites. However, even after 19 years, many public-facing departments like the police, UT Estate Office, health department and the municipal corporation lacked transparency, forcing people to file RTI applications for information related to their personal issues.
In Chandigarh, only around 9% of RTI applications led to a second appeal, indicating that over 90% of applicants were satisfied with the government’s responses—a significant achievement, according to transparency law activists.
The Central Information Commission (CIC) hears second appeals against decisions made by all central government departments and Union territories.
RTI applications can be filed through www.rtionline.gov.in. A fee of ₹10 is charged per application. Any citizen of India has the right to receive the requested information within 30 days of submitting the application, though this period can be extended in exceptional circumstances. If the requested information is extensive or requires inspection, the applicant can schedule an appointment to review public documents.
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