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| Not CM's grievance cell, RTI forces health deptt to act | | Caught on wrong foot! | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
JAMMU, Feb 24: Much hyped Chief Minister's grievance cell has failed to make an impact with officers down the line refusing to redress complaints of commoners.
When forced to act, they mislead the cell which is believed to be monitored directly by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. In most cases, incorrect, fallacious or brutally mutilated action taken report is forwarded to the grievance cell. Those running the grievance cell do not even bother to revert back to the complainant.
In the latest instant, an RTI activist Balvinder Singh, who is also convenor of Sangharsh RTI movement, complained to the CM's grievance cell vide complaint no. 17507 dated 23-11-2010 that health and medical education department should be directed to take practical steps for the implementation of section 4 of J&K RTI act-2009 pertaining to proactive disclosure.
Under section 4, within 120 days of the enactment of the RTI act, a public authority which in present case is Health and Medical Education Department, has to mandatorily display names of drugs, vacancies, medicines and others facilities available free of cost or even paid on the walls of the hospitals and other such government institutions where patients go for treatment purposes.
After one month, the RTI activist came to know from the website of high powered cell that his complaint has been disposed off. He got to know the compliance reply filed by health and medical education department with the grievance cell through the website. To his amazement, Directors of Health Services and Principals of the two Medical Colleges of Jammu and Kashmir regions mislead the Chief Minister by claiming that they would take necessary steps for RTI compliance at the earliest.
Unlike CM's grievance cell which kept a mum after the reply of Health and Medical Education department, the RTI crusader preferred to investigate reality on ground. He went ahead and filed an RTI with Public Information Officer (PIO) of Health Department on February 2, 2011 seeking details of routine steps taken with regard to compliance of section 4 of J&K RTI act-2009 as per their commitment made with CM's grievance cell.
He was shocked to learn that Chief Ministers had been not only misled but led astray. The department kept firstly did not bother to reply. They kept a mum for nearly three months. After three months, the activist filed first appeal on 13-4-2011 before first appellate authority/special secretary Health and Medical Education department. However, he too preferred to sleep over the issue.
The information which was provided after of persuasion to the complainant was concocted and bereft of facts. The heath institutions mentioned as complying with proactive disclosure part of RTI act were found violating the same. Heart broken at government's delinquent attitude, the RTI activist filed second appeal with Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) on 03-06-2011.
Here the issue got its required attention. CIC called up first appellate authority, Sajjad Ahmed (Special Secretary Health and Medical Education Department) and Public Information Officer (PIO) Deputy Secretary Babila Rakwal alongwith the complainant on 14-12-2011. CIC heard the issue and asked them why penalty should not be imposed on them for denial of information under J&K RTI act.
They were given 15 days to submit their reply. They filed their reply on 03-01-2012 before CIC with intimation to the applicant also. The reply was shocking since the PIO had admitted that it was only after the activist filed the RTI application, they began taking practical steps which they had pledged with the CM's grievance cell. The PIO further accepted that delay was purely administrative.
Hence, the entire health and medical education department began complying with section 4 of RTI act only after the RTI crusader forced them. Such was fear of getting caught on wrong foot that Commissioner/Secretary of Health and Medical Education Department issued circular to all the health institutions to comply with proactive disclosure clause of RTI act on the same day when the PIO submitted the reply before the commission. |
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