Information Commissioners need to tackle at least 4,000 complaints a year, says CIC
http://www.indianex
press.com/ news/information -commissioners- need-to-tackle- at-least- 4-000-complaints -a-y.../571673/ Shiv Sahay Singh Posted online: Monday , Jan 25, 2010 at 0024 hrs
Kolkata : Central Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi on Sunday said that a benchmark performance should be fixed for Information Commissioners and they should dispose of at least 4,000 complaints each year.
Speaking on the sidelines of an RTI workshop in Kolkata, Gandhi said, "The government spends Rs 20-25 lakh per year on an information commissioner. There should be a performance norm for Information Commissioners where they should dispose of 4,000 cases of complaints."
Gandhi, an RTI activist-turned-
information commissioner, said the response to the Act in West Bengal was very poor. Since 2005, when the Act came into existence, only 20,000 RTI applications have been filed in the state in contrast to Maharashtra where over 5 lakh applications were filed in 2009 alone. "Throughout the country the government has not done much for the RTI. It is the people who have come forward and a similar role should be played by the people here too," he said.
On the appointment of second State Information Commissioner in Bengal after the commission complained of lack of proper workforce to dispose of complaints, Gandhi said the number of RTI appeals suggest that there was no need for two information commissioners.
He also said the process of appointment of information commissioner is flawed.
"Even I was appointed through a flawed process. The vacancy should be advertised in public domain and then a candidate should be shortlisted," said Gandhi
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