Though the State has set up a committee to look into the feasibility of allowing citizens to drop in at government offices and access files every Monday afternoon, its original directions permitting this have not been cancelled. The president of the committee said citizens would not be denied access to information.
To reduce the number of first and second appeals under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, all government offices from the district to lower levels, municipal corporations, municipal councils and zilla parishads were earlier this month asked to make files available to applicants between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. every Monday.
However, soon after, the government formed a nine-member committee, headed by Konkan Divisional Commissioner Jagdhish Patil, to look into the feasibility of the exercise. “Our committee is tasked with studying this exercise, which was first implemented in the Pune Municipal Corporation. We have to compile a report on how it helped people, if the number of applications reduced and who should be assigned with this duty on a weekly basis, and suggest a plan on the execution of this decision,” Mr. Patil told The Hindu.
Activists however questioned the intention of setting up the committee after the decision was announced. Former central information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi said, “Formation of a committee after announcing directions to voluntarily disclose information raises suspicions. If they needed inputs from Pune, they could have simply asked for it. What was the need for a committee, and that too comprising senior government officials?” Mr. Gandhi said that while the original Government Resolution (GR) was remarkable, forming the committee seemed like an afterthought.
The committee held its first meeting on December 15 in Yashada, Pune and is scheduled meet next on January 19. It is expected submit its report within three months. “The government has already issued a GR directing government offices to make information available to citizens every Monday. We have nowhere asked to stop this practice. Voluntary disclosure is a part of the RTI Act. Information must be made available as per these directions,” Mr. Patil said.