23 December, 2010, Mumbai: Chief State Information Commissioner Vilas Patil agreed to issue directions to various government departments and their Public Information Officers (PIOs) to block the various escape routes used for denying information under RTI. In response to a representation by 11 activists who met him on Tuesday, the new Information Chief said that he would soon issue appropriate directions to stop such practices. Stonewalling information by saying that the requested files were lost, or that the documents had been sent to the legal department, would no longer be accepted as excuses, he stressed.
However, asked to issue directions to reply to RTI applications in the same language that they were written in i.e. English, Hindi or Marathi, Mr Patil pleaded helplessness. He said that the State Information Commission was handicapped by severe shortage of both manpower and funds. "Not only Information Commission, but the entire state administration, is suffering from a severe shortage of English stenographers. That is the biggest reason for all correspondence – including replies to RTI applications, hearing notices and appeal orders – being in Marathi even when the original RTI application is in English or Hindi," he said. These constraints prevented him from making the State Information Commission's website bilingual, he added.
Detailing 12 issues, the activists' representation said, "Sir, thousands of RTI applicants are suffering every month because of these flaws in RTI implementation. Also, these flaws are protecting corrupt people, both inside and outside the administration. As Chief Information Commissioner, you have all the necessary powers and the mandate to remedy these faults."
Read 12-point representation to CSIC: PDF format http://tinyurl.com/CSICVilas2
Word format http://tinyurl.com/CSICVilas2a
Group photo http://tinyurl.com/CSICVilasPic1
Photo Left to Right: Sunil Ahya, Shrikant, Mohd Afzal, Navin Pandya, Utsal Karani, CSIC Vilas Patil, Vijay Manthena, Dhwani Desai, Ramesh Jadhav (seated), Anju Tolani, Krishnaraj Rao and G R Vora
(Hi-resolution photo: http://tinyurl.com/CSICVilasPic1a
About these activists http://tinyurl.com/Activists11
Warm Regards,
Krish
98215 88114
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