Pending RTI second appeals touch 28k

BENGALURU: Viju George, a social sciences student, filed an RTI seeking information on leave transaction of top BDA executives in 2011. Denied information in the desired format, he approached the Karnataka Information Commission. Four years on, Viju's appeal is gathering dust among the 28,000 second appeals before the commission.
All Viju can do is to wait patiently for his turn.For, the state information commission has not held a single Lok Adalat to dispose of the appeals.This despite a Supreme Court directive last year to hold Lok Adalats for the speedy disposal of RTI cases. States like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, UP and Goa have opted for the Lok Adalat route to address the RTI pendency . Karnataka, however, has preferred not to follow suit though the commission receives at least 1,000 second appeals every month.
Second appeals are filed by information seekers after they fail to secure replies from information officers and appellate authorities of respective departments.
It has been 10 years since RTI was enacted. Once a weapon in the common man's arsenary to seek transparency in administration, RTI has now become a victim of syste matic subversion by the aut horities, activists allege.
“Shortage of manpower is one reason for the backlog. As ar as Lok Adalats are concerned, I have already given in structions to organize one for my court soon. In Karnataka here are individuals who have iled 900 second appeals. There are times when we direct the PIOs (public information offi cers) to provide the desired in ormation to the appellant who, however, might not be sa isfied with what is given to hem. They approach us again adding to the pendency ,“ said L Krishnamurthy , State Information Commissioner.
Most second appeals and complaints received by the commission are against BBMP, BDA, KIADB and gram panchayats. The com mission has only four state information commissioners.The seniormost among them, who acts as chief information commissioner, is due for retirement in January . The commission has put out advertisements for the position of five information commissioners and one chief information commissioner. Each information commissioner has a bank of 4500-5,000 appeals to dispose of in a year. Around 250 cases are heard every month of which 50-60% cases are disposed as per the information from the Karnataka Information Commission.
“I will request for a Lok Adalat. Certain departments give information saving you the trouble of filing a second appeal while others deliberately hold the information“ said RTI activist Abraham TJ.