Times of India: Pune: Thursday,
2 January 2025.
State govt's failure to
appoint four information commissioners, including chief information
commissioner, has severely hampered the Right to Information (RTI) machinery.
The number of pending applications has crossed the one-lakh mark.
RTI activists slammed state's lackadaisical approach, pointing out that 11 full-time information commissioners are needed to tackle the massive backlog and ensure effective implementation.
The crisis has deepened with the commission's website no longer displaying the pendency status, RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar said on Tuesday. Kumbhar, who filed a PIL to push for the appointments, said the fight continues because the state has not complied with the commitment it made to Bombay HC. "We will take up this issue again in the new year... They don't want the commission to function properly for reasons best known to them," he added.
The four existing commissioners are now stretched thin, handling additional responsibilities. The Mumbai RTI commissioner is doubling up as the chief information commissioner.
"Why are they unable to find candidates from a pool of 14 crore people... Why wait for some IAS officer to retire," asked an activist in Pune.
In Feb, state filled three posts after activists wrote to govt. Two others have retired since then. A retired information commissioner said: "The average age of officials should be less than 60. At least 40% should be RTI activists to make it more effective."
RTI activists slammed state's lackadaisical approach, pointing out that 11 full-time information commissioners are needed to tackle the massive backlog and ensure effective implementation.
The crisis has deepened with the commission's website no longer displaying the pendency status, RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar said on Tuesday. Kumbhar, who filed a PIL to push for the appointments, said the fight continues because the state has not complied with the commitment it made to Bombay HC. "We will take up this issue again in the new year... They don't want the commission to function properly for reasons best known to them," he added.
The four existing commissioners are now stretched thin, handling additional responsibilities. The Mumbai RTI commissioner is doubling up as the chief information commissioner.
"Why are they unable to find candidates from a pool of 14 crore people... Why wait for some IAS officer to retire," asked an activist in Pune.
In Feb, state filled three posts after activists wrote to govt. Two others have retired since then. A retired information commissioner said: "The average age of officials should be less than 60. At least 40% should be RTI activists to make it more effective."