Three years after the RTI Act...

Seven information commissioners in Mumbai struggle with 14,000 applications

Seven information commissioners in Mumbai struggle with 14,000 applications

It's more than three years since the Right to Information Act (RTI) 2005 came into force. Since then, the seven information commissioners appointed by the government of Maharashtra in Mumbai are bogged down with over 14,000 pending RTI applications.

Vijay Kuvalekar, an information commissioner, said he has been struggling with an RTI application, seeking names and details of principals of 110 government schools in the state for over a year now. "The application also includes 70 other unrelated queries, which are responsible for the delay," said Kuvalekar.

Mumbai-based RTI activist Bhaskar Prabhu said an average of 12 to 13 RTI applications were cleared per information commissioner in a day. "Not all applications are dealt with completely and hence lead to them being re-filed. Actually, it should not be difficult for a single information officer to clear up to 25 RTI applications a day," explained Prabhu.

Well-known RTI activist and now central information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi created a record by clearing over 500 appeals and complaints in a month (December 2008). "This proves that clearing backlogs is possible, and that it is not difficult to formulate a strategy to clear a backlog," Gandhi said.

Netizens however, are strongly critical of the efficacy of the RTI Act and of the activists. "The act is being misused by crooks who seek junk information to exact vengeance from government organisations for Rs 10. Most RTI applications lead to little more than a loss of man-hours, stationery, fax and telephone expenses and unnecessary fatigue for government servants," said S Ganesh of Chennai-based RTI blog site Karthu.

Your rights under RTI Act 2005
Questioning government officials or seeking any information
Ask for copies of any government document
Demand to be allowed to inspect work on any government project

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