Info panel spares govt officers the rod

Info panel spares govt officers the rod Times Region [Next] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Info panel spares govt officers the rod Staff Crunch Delays Reply To RTI Queries http://mobilepaper.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=12§id=edid=&edlabel=TOICH&mydateHid=22-10-2012&pubname=Times+of+India+-+Chennai&edname=&articleid=Ar01200&publabel=TOI C D S Mani TNN Chennai: Tamil Nadu chief information commissioner K S Sripathi believes in giving a long rope to public information officers (PIOs).He told TOI that the state information commission (SIC) does not believe in punishing PIOs,who are dependent on various departments to collect information and reply to applications under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.We cant bow to pressure of RTI activists to take action against a PIO without examining all the issues involved, he said adding,the demoralizing effect on that the officers concerned has to be to considered. He attributes the delay in replying to RTI queries to manpower constraints and process.The SIC,which had just one chief information commissioner and one information commissioner since its inception,has inducted five more information commissioners this September,he pointed out.Lack of trained staff who are computer savvy and can handle the inflow of around 56,000 papers received by the commission in a calendar year,slows down the process of sifting through the petitions,appeals and references from various departments,he explained. However,RTI activist C Selvaraj demurs saying,the replies to queries have to be given within 30 days as mandated by the Act and the commission should work intelligently by prioritizing the petitions instead of attempting to respond to all the representations if there is a manpower shortage.V Gopalakrishnan,who has filed a legion of RTI applications,has problems with lack of sincerity of PIOs in doing their constitutional job and does not buy the official line regarding manpower constraints. Expressing inability to reveal the number of RTI applications received in a calendar year,Sripathi explains that the SIC only receives second appeals after applicants have made the first appeal to the concerned department from which information has been sought.Out of 12,000 to 13,000 second appeals received in a calendar year,the SIC disposes of moer than 8,000 plus appeals which makes TN one of the leading states in this regard.The commission receives only second appeals on alleged denials of information or delays in getting replies to RTI queries. On an average,about 100 show cause notices are issued in a calendar year to PIOs in Tamil Nadu and fines are imposed only after malafide intention is established.Usually the complaints are against departments like police and revenue with which the people tend to have more interaction, he said. Section 20 of the RTI Act empowers the commission to impose a penalty of Rs 250 per person per day of delay subject to a maximum of Rs 25,000 while deciding an appeal complaint.It can recommend disciplinary action against any erring PIO.