news details |
|
|
| Wanted: Information Commissioner for J&K | | RTI activists want non-bureaucrat Commissioner | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Nov 29: The State Government is yet to finalize the list of probable candidates for the post of State Information Commissioner (IC).
The post fell vacant last month after the retirement of Prof S K Sharma. The absence of IC at Jammu office of the State Information Commission (SIC) is defeating the purpose of State RTI Act as dozens of appeals and complaints are piling up at the Commission's office.
Details available with Early Times reveal that neither Government nor the PDP-BJP coordination committee has held a meeting to shortlist the probable candidate for the post of Information Commissioner to be appointed under the provisions of J&K RTI Act 2009.
RTI activist and other stakeholders demand that a person with non-bureaucratic background should be appointed as new IC.
Notably, the Government had prematurely transferred Secretary State Information Commission (SIC) within a gap of just four months, and as on date the SIC is without a Secretary as well. The Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) used to be consulted prior to posting or transfer of Secretary SIC or any other staff members of the Information Commission. But after former CM Omar Abdullah repealed the J&K RTI Rules 2010 in August 2012, the Government now hardly consults the CIC as the said provision is nowhere present in the present RTI Rules of 2012.
Ghulam Nabi Balwan was posted as Secretary SIC on May 18 this year, but within four months he was transferred from SIC and posted as Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar.
Omar Abdullah and many other top leaders of National Conference had been highlighting the so-called achievements of their Government during election campaigning in 2014. They had claimed that the NC-Congress regime enacted a strong version of Right to Information Act in J&K (J&K RTI Act 2009). But the same Government rendered the law weak by amending its rules, and the leaders of National Conference still continue to befool people of this state by talking about enactment of this law in-spite of the fact that the said law has been almost made useless after its rules were amended in August 2012.
The J&K RTI Act 2009 doesn't say anything about the appointment of new IC after a commissioner retires.
"There should be an amendment in the RTI Act in such a way that a commissioner be appointed within a month or two after the post becomes vacant," says Deepak Chabra, a regular RTI user from Baramulla.
"We appeal Government to appoint a retired judge as member of SIC so as to ensure early disposal of pending cases before the SIC. We already have two retired bureaucrats as members (Commissioners) of SIC, and to balance it the new commissioner should not be a bureaucrat," said Dr Mushtaq Khan, a senior member of J&K RTI Movement. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
