[HumJanenge] Success Story of RTI Activism in Orissa

Success Story of RTI Activism in Orissa

Awareness campaign on RTI is no more in the domain of Orissa Information Commission

Dear friends

 

It is fact that when the Govt. enacts a law, it always  keeps provision  for public awareness campaign about it. Accordingly, Central Govt. while enacting the RTI Act has  made  a clear-cut provision in the law  for    awareness campaign and  fixing responsibility  on  particular institution i.e., State or Central Govt.  Section 26 of the Act says that  the State Govt. shall organize public awareness campaign on RTI, Publish booklets and conduct training for Officials  in the state. As the Information and Public Relation Department is nodal Dept.  in Orissa for implementation of RTI, the Dept. has to organize such awareness programme  in the state. But the tragedy in Orissa is that since beginning, Orissa Information Commission itself was found busy in conducting the awareness programme, publishing booklets and organizing training for officers. The Officials of I and PR Dept. remained sitting idle without contributing anything for propagation of RTI in the state. Neither State Information Commissions nor Central Information Commission was found involved in doing such awareness campaign on RTI in their respective states or at National level.  It is exception in Orissa.  Within long span of five years, it was found Orissa Information Commission (OIC) spending around Rs. 3 crores sanctioned by Govt.  for awareness programme . Nobody knows what the output is.

 

As the OIC  remained busy  in conducting awareness programme  and inaugurating  such programme as Chief Guest  and Chief Speaker,  their primary work  of  disposal  of  complaint and 2^nd appeal cases suffered  and  pendency of  large number of cases was found  increasing  in the office of the Commission. It needs to be mentioned here that  presently  more  than 15000 cases are pending  in the office of the Commission for disposal  because of sheer negligence  and inefficiency of the Information Commissioners   for the same.

 

Being terribly disturbed by  illegal  activities of the Commission,  the Civil Society  Groups  and RTI Activists  in Orissa , since beginning opposed  the Commission's involvement  in the awareness campaign and demanded  their withdrawal  from these activities. But the Commission remained hell-bent in their illegal activities and did not care the criticism of Civil Society Groups. During   that time, a question cropped  up in the mind  of RTI Activists  that  who decides and how the decision has been taken at Govt. level to sanction fund to the Commission for awareness programme.  Accordingly, RTI Application was submitted to the Dept. of I and PR,  Dept. of Planning and Coordination,  Dept. of Finance and office of Orissa Information Commission to get the information   about it. Astonishingly,  the PIOs of all Depts.  Continued  to forward the application each other without providing any information. The PIO, office of Orissa Information Commission supplied the information about only expenditure of the fund.

 

Finding no information through RTI, RTI Activists  decided  to get the information  through  MLAs putting  the question in Orissa Assembly. Accordingly, Mr. Karendra Majhi, Hon'ble MLA raised Non-Star question  in the assembly in the month of August 2009 to the Hon'ble Minister for Information and Public Relation  about how the decision was taken at Govt. level  to sanction fund to the Commission for awareness campaign in the state going against  the provision of RTI Act.  Response of the Minister was " Collection of Information is under Process" . The Information was never supplied to the Hon'ble MLA.

 

Then, RTI Activists  under the banner of Odisha Soochana Adhikar Abhijan  staged a day-long Dharana  before Raj Bhawan, Bhubaneswar on 26.11.2010  demanding  enquiry  into misappropriation of  3.25 crore Rupees by the Commission in the name of awareness programme and appropriate legal action against  the Commission at the earliest.  A memorandum was submitted to Hon'ble Governor, Orissa  in this regard.  At the same time, Mr. Raj Kishor Singh, Political Activist and  a Senior Citizen  has filed  a  PIL Case in Orissa High Court  praying  for enquiry into misappropriation of huge fund for awareness campaign  by CBI  and demanding action  against the Commissioners in March 2011.

 

In the meantime, Mr. Tarun Kanti Mishra former Chief Secretary, Orissa  assumed the responsibility as Chief Information Commissioner in the state in the month of Novemebr'2010. When he was appraised about  the illegal activities of the Commission,  he decided not  to  be involved  in the awareness campaign  and accordingly wrote the letter  to the State Govt.  not to take fund for the same.  Now  the  fund for awareness programme  is available with Dept. of I and PR, Nodal Dept. for RTI  in the state from the financial year  2011-2012.

 

To conclude, it took  five years of protracted struggle of RTI Activists and Civil Society Organisations to force Information Commission to act  as per the letter and spirit of the RTI Act.

 

Regards

 

Pradip Pradhan

M-99378-43482

Date-6.10.2011