Guwahati, May 10: A conference of information commissioners of the Northeastern region was held under the auspices of Assam Information Commission and National Federation of Information Commissions in India (NFICI) here on Wednesday.
The conference was inaugurated by Y.K Sinha, chief information commissioner, Central Information Commission.
Addressing the conference, Sinha stressed on fast disposal of RTI petitions at the application level and making dissemination at the first interface level easier and faster.
“The first appellate authorities also have a very important role. If the state public information officers (SPIOs) and central public information officers (CPIOs) can dispose of the petitions at the application level, and if the first appellate authorities also ensure that the information sought is furnished as requested, then citizens will not have to approach the information commission,” Sinha said.
“The RTI Act provides for uploading information in the departmental websites. If all public authorities do this sincerely, then citizens will not be required to seek information by using the RTI Act at all,” he said
Sinha also stressed on accessing information held by private organisations by using provisions of the RTI Act.
“Private organisations are registered with different government departments and agencies, and information can be accessed through those agencies,” he said.
He called upon public authorities to remain alert against certain mischievous elements who try to misuse provisions of the RTI Act.
“There are certain mischievous elements that try to use the RTI Act to harass and blackmail public authorities. Some people also submit frivolous applications. Such cases should be handled with care. The Act cannot be allowed to be misused for ulterior motives,” Sinha said.
Earlier, in his welcome address, Assam chief information commissioner Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta underlined the importance of information in empowering the common people.
“Most people use the RTI Act for genuine problems and grievances. Hence, it has been the duty of the information commission to ensure that public authorities furnish information as promptly as possible when an RTI application is submitted,” Mahanta said.
Information commissioners from the Northeastern states, who took part in the conference, raised issues related to certain practical problems arising in the process of disposing appeals and complaints.
