[RTI INDIA] Fwd: State CIC aims to dispose of 550 appeals per month .... TOI 12 Jul pg 7

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State CIC aims to dispose of 550 appeals per month

Prafulla Marpakwar TNN

Mumbai: After taking over as the state chief information commissioner, Ratnakar Gaikwad has put on fast track the entire set-up to provide information to the common man. Besides setting a target for disposal of pending appeals within six months, Gaikwad has knocked at the doors of all the heads of departments for implementation of the RTI Act in letter and spirit.
    "I found that a large number of appeals are pending across the state. All regional commissioners will have to draft a strategy for early disposal. In 24 working days, since I took over, I have disposed of 400 appeals. I have decided to dispose of at least 550 appeals per month," Gaikwad said.
    The former chief secretary said that while 4,500 appeals are pending before the CIC, nearly 21,000 appeals are pending across the state before regional commissioners. "I studied the working of central information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi, who disposed of 500 to 550 appeals a month. It should not be difficult to do the same," he said.
    Gaikwad has drafted an ambitious plan to bring in more accountability. "We must set a deadline," he said.
    On reviewing RTI Act implementation, Gaikwad found there was lack of seriousness at all levels and authorities did not pay enough attention on implementation. "First appellate authorities are not passing orders within 30 days and in many cases, orders are not well reasoned," Gaikwad said in a letter to civic chief Sitaram Kunte.
    Further, Gaikwad said, a scrutiny reveals that immediate superiors of officers dealing with RTI were not concerned about implementation.
    Gaikwad has asked the BMC to catalogue all records, make them available to the public, make record management technologically driven, make special arrangements for aid to citizens, conduct a monthly review of receipt and disposal of applications and monitor compliance of CIC orders. He has further asked the BMC to take seriously all hearings before the CIC or the commissioner, depute a senior official for the purpose and draft a plan for implementing CIC directives. "Any lapse in the implementation hereafter will be viewed seriously," Gaikwad warned.

Number of appeals pending in state: 20,606

•Mumbai : 4,094

•Konkan : 1,728

•Pune : 4,856

•Aurangabad : 3,252

•Nashik : 2,734

•Amravati : 1,703

•Nagpur : 599

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