news details |
|
|
| Govt strangulating RTI; must appoint CIC, ICs at earliest: Dr Sharma | | 'First Appellate Authorities making mockery of the situation' | |  Early Times Report
Jammu, Nov 20: Expressing serious concern over the current status of J&K State Information Commission (JKSIC), which has been rendered 'defunct' as the lone Information Commissioner Nazir Ahmed has also completed his tenure and demitted his office, Vikas Sharma State President National Secular Forum accused state government of strangulating the Right to Information Act (2009) in the State.
Addressing a press conference Vikas Sharma said that the PDP-BJP Coalition government has ridiculed the very idea of Right to Information as the government deliberately rendered it defunct by not appointing new members of State information Commission.
"The aggrieved information seekers are totally confused as the First Appellate Authorities of several departments are deliberately pushing them to go for Second Appeal knowing that SIC is lying defunct which amounts to mockery of the situation," he said.
"Previously it was unrest in the Valley owing to which none of the Jammuite could go to SIC office when lone Information Commissioner was entertaining appeals in Srinagar office but now since Capital is here, in Jammu, the SIC office has gone defunct. The aggrieved RTI seekers from Jammu have been suffering for the last six months but the state govt which makes tall claims of good governance has failed to fulfill its basic duty which is highly apathetic," he lambasted.
He mentioned that the CIC before his retirement had written to the State Government to appoint the new CIC and the Information Commissioners well in advance but all his efforts were in vain. Moreover, it was due to the State Government's apathy the GAD had not even prepared the panel of the probables for these posts which only exposed the bitter truth that the coalition government was hell bent to kill the transparency law for its own vested interests.
While demanding immediate appointment of CIC and ICs to reconstitute the Commission, Sharma sought an explanation from the State Govt on the sabotage of RTI Act. He regretted that Govt's tall claims about ensuring the transparency and accountability were only aimed at befooling the people and nothing else.
"The common masses including aggrieved and disadvantaged sections had pinned high hopes with the enactment of the RTI Act which had been based on the objective of transforming conventional electoral democracy into participative democracy," he said and added that "The people expected that the time bound provision of information under the Act would not only ensure accountability but also curb corruption and other malpractices."
He regretted that with the SIC being turned defunct, it would further encourage the unscrupulous officials, political helmsmen and other elements in the State for breeding patronized corruption and other vices. Among those who were present in the press-conference included, Papinder Singh, Surjit Choudhary and Rishikesh Rana. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
