Maha CIC pushes for transparency, mandates online reply to RTI applications
Pune: State's chief information commissioner (CIC) Rahul Pande has issued a directive to public authorities for proactive disclosure of all RTI applications and replies on department websites with keyword-searchable access for the public to enhance transparency, and reduce the backlog of appeals and complaints.
"The directive, issued under sections 19(8){a}[iii] and 25(5) of the RTI Act, 2005, aims to tackle nearly one lakh pending cases — 79,312 appeals and 18,186 complaints — by promoting voluntary transparency and reducing repetitive filings," Pande told TOI on Monday
"The preamble of the RTI Act speaks of citizen empowerment, transparency, accountability and the reduction of corruption. This directive is aimed at operationalising that vision," he said.
Pande said the chief secretary had been directed to circulate the new order to all govt departments to ensure compliance.
The State Information Commission (SIC) highlighted a 2013 circular of the department of personnel and training (DoPT), advising all public authorities to publish RTI requests and responses to strengthen the transparency mandate of Section 4 of the act.
He said, "By publishing RTI replies online in a searchable format, we can eliminate the need for multiple applications seeking the same information.
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This is a crucial step towards empowering citizens and ensuring govt accountability. The departments are expected to work towards it."
Besides technological upgrades to ensure an easy process, Pande emphasised the need for institutional reform in all departments. He said several departments were burdened with RTI requests and many of these were duplicates because of the unavailability of earlier replies in the public domain.
The latest directive urged departments to publish all RTI data barring exempted matters and ensure it was accessible without formal applications.
The SIC instructed the departments to address all appeals and complaints through both online and offline hearings to expedite their disposal. "Clearance will be done from old to new, ensuring no second appeal or complaint is left behind," Pande said.
He said for the first time all the seven posts of information commissioners had been filled up.
"All the commissioners are trying to dispose of cases at the earliest. There are cases pending since 2019," he said.
Pande acknowledged that 18 posts across seven information commissions and the main office in the state were still vacant. "We are not receiving enough applicants despite advertising," he said, hinting at administrative bottlenecks.
He also warned against the misuse of the RTI Act. "Those filing RTI applications with the intent to blackmail or harass officials will face strict action," Pande said.
(FOR GRAPHIC)
HL: DECISIONS PENDING
18,186 RTI complaints are pending
79,312 appeals are pending
Office Complaints pending Appeals pending
Mumbai main office 3,099 19,554
BMC area 2,745 5,152
Konkan 4,236 7,870
Pune 3,741 7,916
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar 274 8,225
Nashik 1,087 13,277
Nagpur 1,110 5,189
Amravati 1,894 12,129
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