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| RTI applicants run for shelter as they face threat to lives | | | Sandeep Bhat
Early Times Report
JAMMU, June 9: The Right to Information (RTI) Act in J&K is virtually rendered "toothless" with goons threatening RTI applicants of dire consequences in case they did not withdraw applications seeking details of some government works and files.
Under RTI, every citizen has the right to know about the government functioning, and also about construction works executed by various departments.
Wajahat Habibullah was appointed chief information commissioner (CIC) but after he did not join, the state government did not bother to appoint another CIC.
The Omar-headed government, which talks of transparency and accountability, has no justification for delaying the CIC appointment.
So far, 534 applications had been received by various government departments from the people, seeking information under RTI, official sources said.
However, whenever people demanded information under RTI, they were discouraged by the authorities concerned, the sources added.
Sources said on several occasions, public information officers (PIOs) had rejected applications on trivial grounds.
There were instances when applicants were threatened of dire consequences in case they did not withdraw their applications, the sources added.
Mulkh Raj of Ramnagar was forced to flee home and take shelter in a friend's house in Jammu after he had filed an application under RTI, seeking details of irregularities committed in government higher secondary school, Ramnagar.
After the filing of application by him, some armed youth had barged into his house and given him life threat if he did not withdraw the application.
Another RTI applicant Ghulam Nabi Shah of Badgam was beaten up for seeking details from block development office, Khanasahib, about the money distributed under Indira Awas Yojna and NREGA.
The corrupt officers were taking the assistance of goons to threaten RTI applicants so that they desisted from filing applications.
In J&K, any person can file RTI application with a treasury receipt of Rs 50, while in other states, a treasury receipt of only Rs 10 was to be attached with the application.
Senior lawyer S S Lehar said so far more than 200 applications were entered in RTI, but most of them were getting wrong replies and in the absence of information commission, no one bothered to give right reply.
He said there was a need to strengthen RTI in J&K with the setting up of information commission.
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