Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Apt cartoon

The cartoon on the Right to Information (Oct. 17) expresses the fears of possible non-implementation of the right wishing, at the same time, that the bureaucracy does not water down the meaningful Act.

V. Bhimeswara Rao,
Kakinada, A.P.

Although the right is supposed to be a powerful weapon in the hands of the common man, and it has been passed without much controversy, many are sceptical about its efficacy because it is the bureaucracy that is at the centre of its implementation. The superb cartoon brings out this fact most effectively.

K.D. Viswanaathan,
Coimbatore

Although the responsibility of making the new statute functional rests with the people, the government's pro-active participation is also necessary.

The government, the media, and the citizens have to act in coordination to make the right functional and effective.

T. Karthikeyan,
Madurai, T.N.

Yes, there are doubts about the extent to which the RTI Act will help people get the information they seek, given the colonial mindset of the bureaucracy which gains in power by denying information to the people.

Over the decades, the Official Secrets Act has given civil servants enough protection and excuse to deny even basic information to the people. But they need to change their general attitude towards the people if the RTI Act is to succeed.

J.S. Acharya,
Hyderabad

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