Govt depts turn deaf ear to SIC directions

Hyderabad: Diluting the spirit of Right to Information (RTI) Act, the government departments in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have not been complying with the directions of the State Information Commission.

The State government officials do not seem to be caring even to pay the penalties imposed on them by the commission, according to SIC sources.

According to sources, since 2007, the commission had imposed penalties to the tune of about Rs 56.5 lakh on various departments for non-compliance of the Act in 1,112 cases. But, so far the commission could release only 22 per cent of the penalties that comes to about Rs 12.8 lakh.

The sources said that in 2011 the commission imposed a penalty of about Rs 75, 000 in nine cases. However, none of the departments paid even single paisa even after five years.

Apart from this, in regard to its functioning, the classification of RTI applications, the sources say, shows that at least 40 per cent of the applicants had asked for information which was neither useful for them nor did it have any public interest.

In another 20 per cent of the cases, the commission found that the applicants reportedly sought information either to trouble, or to take on the one or the other officials in the departments with personal motives.

Of the total applications, only about 30 to 40 per cent cases were found to be related to seeking information to redress the public grievances. And 10 per cent more cases were related to bringing transparency in departments, and to take on the corrupt elements.