Criticized the government for not providing timely information. Photo Ms. internet media
Digital Desk, Sitamarhi. Bihar Governance Issue: Political turmoil has intensified in Bihar over the long pending of applications filed under Right to Information (RTI).
On this issue, former RJD leader Ritu Jaiswal has raised serious questions on the functioning of the state government. He has said that when the government fails to provide information on time, then there is no justification for running the RTI portal.
Ritu Jaiswal said that the condition of governance in Bihar government can be understood from the fact that RTI applications filed by common citizens remain pending for months and years. He alleged that the General Administration Department under the Chief Minister forwards the RTI applications to the concerned departments, but after that no concrete action is taken on them.
Information is not available for years instead of 30 days
Giving the example of the Revenue and Land Reforms Department, he said that under the Right to Information Act, it is mandatory to provide information within 30 days, but in many cases this time limit is being completely ignored.
Referring to a case, he said that the information has not been provided by the concerned department even after 1,809 days, which is a mockery of both law and democracy.
No information even after charging
Ritu Jaiswal also raised the question that when the government is charging RTI application fee, then why the applicants are not being given information on time. He said that not providing information is not only a violation of the law but also a direct injustice to the rights of common citizens.
Questions raised on the intentions of the government
He said in sharp words that if the government does not want to provide information, then the RTI portal should be closed. At least this will not give false hope to the people. He said that weakening the RTI system is against the spirit of transparency and accountability.
Demand to fix accountability
Ritu Jaiswal demanded that the pending RTI applications should be reviewed and accountability of the responsible officers should be fixed. Also, it should be ensured that in future the Right to Information Act is strictly followed, so that the general public can get timely information.
He said that if the government does not take serious steps in this direction, it will be proved that the claims of transparent governance are limited to papers only.