attacks on RTI activists decried

• Over 50 activists killed since RTI Act enacted
• Justice Chandra Kumar asks activists to mobilise students, media and friends
• Whistle-Blowers Act can only deter attacks
• Few applications from women a major concern

Hyderabad: The major obstacle to the historical legislation like The Right to Information Act (RTI), 2005 has been the increasing number of attacks on RTI activists across India. Thousands of them are being tortured, blackmailed and threatened and at least 50 activists lost their lives since the Act came into force.

These concerns were discussed on Saturday at a meeting on the implementation of the RTI Act organised by Social Audit Council on Information Right.

N Bhaskar Rao, the chief advisor to the council, listed out several measures to be taken to make the Act powerful. He stressed on the need to bring political parties and the media under the Act. He also felt that enacting Whistle-Blowers Act was absolutely necessary to protect the RTI activists from being attacked. He wondered why the Service Delivery Guarantee Bill, which was being implemented in eight states across India, was still not being enacted in AP. He said that the grievance redress system too needed to have a legal provision.

He was very much concerned about the fewer number of RTI requests coming from women across the country, which according to him, contributed to just 5 per cent of the total number of applications. He suggested appointing more women RTI commissioners to address the women-centric problems in the country. He pointed out that very few applications were being filed in issues related to social, women and tribal welfare. He also observed that the educational institutions were not studying the Act.

Chairing the meeting, Justice B Chandra Kumar advised the RTI activists to mobilise support from student organisations, media and friends and asked them to create movements which could discourage goons from attacking them.

Varre Venkateswarlu, Information Commissioner, AP, praised the RTI Act for creating a scare in the minds of corrupt officials and implored the government officials to become role-models for the society. He revealed that without himself using the RTI Act, even his appointment as the commissioner could not have been so easy. He put the responsibility on media to create awareness among the people about the RTI Act.

Gopala Rao, convener of the council, asked the common people to take the responsibility of the society on their shoulders by not sitting at home, but to come out and file RTIs to protect the city’s interests.

He said that there was a great need for people to form committees to monitor the happenings in various government departments in key aspects related to commercial assessments, property taxes, road constructions, parks development, drainage works and so on. He revealed that, in his more-than-decade long fight for a transparent administration he found that, 50 per cent of the replies given by GHMC to the RTIs filed by him were false.

He called upon the government, information commissioners, public information officers, political parties, people’s representatives, media, people, NGOs and social activists to work towards making the society corruption-free, by using the RTI Act effectively.

Ramani, Deputy Commissioner, Circle 7, GHMC, was felicitated at the event, for her efficiency and honesty in replying to an RTI within 2 days.

The council has also announced that starting January, several meetings would be held at all the 18 circles in GHMC limits, to address various civil issues and the implementation of RTI.