RTI files are piling up in the Konkan division office of the State Information Commission (SIC) in Maharashtra, primarily due to unavailability of the commissioner to take up and address the queries.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member Ravi Srivastava filed an RTI before the State Information Commissioner, Mumbai and sought information on efficiency of SIC of Konkan Region. The office is bound to respond in a fixed time-frame, but there’s no binding on SIC to settle 2nd appeal or complaint in a definite time-frame.
Position of Konkan division SIC is vacant since the then existing officer got transferred in May 2011. Then the state had given additional charge of Konkan region to Pune SIC, M.B. Shaha, instead of appointing a full-time commissioner. This decision has scuttled the very purpose of RTI Act, expressed Mr. Srivastava.
The RTI reply reveal that after assuming the additional charge of Konkan Division on 15th August 2011, Mr. Shaha attended office at Konkan Bhawan Navi Mumbai for only 73 days in the last 23 months i.e on an average 3 days a month.
“For all practical purposes if SIC is going by FIFO (First in first out) method all 2nd appeal applicants are waiting their appeal to be heard since his appointment i.e August 2011,” noted Mr. Srivastava.
“As on May 2013, 6389, 2nd appeals are pending with the SIC, this is pathetic and defeats the very purpose of the RTI Act. This also speaks volumes about Government’s intention, which is to scuttle the information then providing it to applicant.
“Such delays on the part of concerned officials frustrates and demoralizes the applicants and erodes their confidence in redress-al system. This encourages and flourishes corruption in Public distribution and defeats Governance.”
“This is despite the fact that more then 2 dozen Indian Administrative service (IAS) officers are idling, waiting for appropriate assignment at the cost of Taxpayers money,” stated Mr. Srivastava.
AAP appeals to the State Government for a swift action and demands appointment of a full-time SIC in Konkan Division, with the hope that all the pending appeals and complaints would be disposed off properly before the year-end.
