| RTI applications pile up; PIOs, FAAs in ‘no mood’ to answer queries | | Absence of Information Commission derails system | | Avinash Azad
Early Times Report
Jammu, Dec 30: Absence of Information Commission in Jammu and Kashmir has derailed the process of seeking information under Right to Information (RTI) Act.
According to the details available with Early Times Public Information Officers (PIOs) and First Appellate Authorities (FAAs) of different departments are reportedly sitting over the applications filed by the information seekers.
After the winding up of State Information Commission in J&K post reorganisation of the erstwhile state, the responsibility of the SIC was shifted to Central Information Commission (CIC).
“The CIC is not accessible for every citizen of J&K, as it has no office in the Union Territory”, said an information seeker, adding that his 15 RTIs are pending before the PIOs and the FAAs.
“They (PIO and FAA) don’t bother, because they know that nobody will ask them for delay or not furnishing the information to the information seekers,” he said, adding that the act is violated even in some district and divisional offices of government department, by not providing information to the seekers.
However, a senior officer in the Civil Secretariat, holding an important position said that the decision regarding establishment of UT level Commission or opening of a branch of the CIC in J&K would be taken by the Union Government. “We can convey it to the Union, if somebody represents the demand with UT administration, but till now no one has approached us”, the officer said.
“In the absence of high-speed internet service, online redressal of pending cases by the CIC is also not possible”, said the RTI activist, adding that the CIC had taken up the pending cases of JKSIC and gave most of its judgement in favour the RTI activists.
“Now, there is no direct link between the CIC and Information seeker, past’s cases pending at the time of winding-up of the SIC were sent to the General Administration Department (GAD), which were further forwarded to the CIC”, he elaborated. |
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