SIC orders single-window like system to answer RTI ques

Nagpur: To make it easy to apply for information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the State Information Commission (SIC), Nagpur bench, has directed government departments to open a single window like system. In another order, SIC has made it mandatory for government agencies to gather information and provide it to applicant even if matter is related to another agency.
Hearing an appeal filed by RTI activist TH Naidu, state information commissioner Dilip Dharurkar said, “Government departments like collector office, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), Nagpur University etc have public information officers and assistant public information officers for each department. SIC is regularly receiving same reply from the officials that the particular case does not fall under their jurisdiction. The government agencies should appoint an official who will receive applications and forward them to responsible public information officials. It will make it easy for the applicants to get information,” he said.

Naidu said the SIC order will benefit activists and common man. “There are over 20 departments in NMC. Each department has one public information officer. Applicants are forced to go from one table to another to submit application and also collect the information. Also, public information officer takes a month to say that the case does not fall under his/her jurisdiction. This problem will be resolved if government agencies comply with the SIC order,” he said.

While hearing another appeal by Naidu, Dharurkar had made it mandatory for Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) to collect information from the office of charity commissioner and provide it to the activist. “It was mandatory on the part of public information officer to send applicant’s RTI application to the officer of charity commissioner within five days and collect it,” he said.

Naidu said this SIC order is applicable to all government departments. “It has become a habit of officials to suggest that we collect information from other department. Now, this problem has also been resolved,” he said.

For not complying with his earlier orders, Dharurkar has levied a penalty of Rs5,000 on a NIT official. “NIT should fix responsibility on the official and deduct the amount from his/her salary, and pay the applicant,” he said.

Naidu said he has requested SIC to take cognisance of delay in providing information by government agencies. “I have not received information in many applications for two or more years despite the norm being 30 days. For each and every case, we have to come with an appeal before the SIC,” he said.