National   

Officers apathetic, information scarce: survey

NEW DELHI: Non-availability of directories of Public Information Officers (PIOs) in northern States is making it difficult for applicants to locate the appropriate authority for filing appeals under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

The situation is particularly bad in Bihar, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh, where 90 per cent or more applicants could not locate their PIOs, according to a survey “Accessing Information under RTI — Citizens’ Experiences in Ten States — 2008” conducted by Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA). The study shows that 40 per cent of the respondents did not get information within the stipulated 30 days.

Nearly 43 per cent of the respondents had to visit government offices at least 2-5 times for getting information. Thirty-42 per cent of the respondents in Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh and 66-76 in Kerala and Madhya Pradesh said the PIOs did not cooperate in providing information. Several cases of intimidation, harassment and reprisal by PIOs have been reported by citizens in the 10 States.

Close to 93 per cent of the respondents in Bihar, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh said the self-disclosure manual was not available in government departments. Non-compliance with the orders of the State Information Commissions (SICs) by public authorities is another cause for concern.

The survey has also highlighted poor disposal of appeals and complaints before the SICs of Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa. Poor decisions of the SICs in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Orissa reflect poorly on their functioning. The SICs did not even mention the date of registration, the names of PIOs and appellate authorities and the clause under which information was denied.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Strategic ties not with U.S. alone, says Pranab
Boost to India’s space commerce
Obama will face a more confident India: Bush
Country needs more courts to render speedy justice: CJI
“Free Trade Agreement will solve India-Pakistan problems”
Officers apathetic, information scarce: survey
Raise funeral compensation for employees: House panel
Pranab backs Buddhadeb on industrialisation

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu