news details |
|
|
| RTI cases piling up at SIC, appellants miffed | | Only one or two cases heard per day | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Nov 3: The J&K State Information Commission (SIC) came into existence after the enactment of J&K Right to Information Act 2009 (JK RTI Act 2009) . From February 2011the SIC started functioning after G R Sufi was appointed as its first Chief Information Commissioner (CIC). Soon after his appointment the CIC started hearing cases of 2nd appeals and complaints filed under section 15 and 16 0f J&K RTI Act 2009. With the passage time two more Information Commissioners Nazir Ahmad and Dr S K Sharma were appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of selection committee headed by CM and Leader of Opposition, Dy CM being the members of this selection committee.
From the last couple of years more and more cases of appeals and complaints are being filed against the Government officers i.e. Public Information Officers (PIO's)for withholding information under RTI Act. It was felt that SIC would be more proactive in disposing off these appeals and complaints but the reality is quite different as the cases are now piling up at an alarming rate and people getting fed up with the functioning of the Information Commission. The main reason for this long pendency is non- serious attitude of Information Commissioners who take up one or two cases for hearing every day and announce decisions after many months.
Even many RTI activists, RTI users etc has taken serious concern over the increasing number of pending cases at State Information Commission (SIC) and the aggrieved persons seem to be getting frustrated with increasing pendency day by day.
While talking to Early Times Abdul Rahman an RTI activist from Budgam said that the number of pending cases both 2nd appeals and complaints is increasing day by day and people are complaining of getting long delays at State Information Commission. Dr Mushtaq Ahmad Khan RTI activist and Executive Director of Kashmir Centre for Community Development (KCCD) a Srinagar based NGO said that they have urged upon the Chief Information Commissioner G R Sufi to increase the number of cases taken up for hearing on daily basis.
" As of now we see only 3 to 4 are taken up for hearing on daily basis by various Information Commissioners at SIC Srinagar and Jammu offices and sometimes even only one case is heard but this must change as we see as many as eight to ten cases at an average are taken up for hearing at Central Information Commission New Delhi by each Information Commissioner "Dr Mushtaq said.
He added that If more cases are taken up for hearing the pendency rate will decrease and the Government must also provide adequate staff to the SIC so that they can function smoothly.
Some activists alleged that Government is not providing adequate staff to the State Information Commission and this also hampers the work at the commission and this is also one of the reasons that very few cases are taken up for hearing by the Information Commissioners.
Pertinent to mention that only few days back Early Times had filed a story regarding non serious attitude of SIC Jammu as the said office was closed at 3.30pm only and this non serious attitude of Information Commission also indicates that officials at the helm of affairs at SIC are directly responsible for the pendency of cases which makes ordinary citizens to suffer for months together. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
