KIC moots law on public records

[karira]

As reported by ENS in expressbuzz.com on 12 October 2008:
KIC moots law on public records

KIC moots law on public records

BANGALORE: The Karnataka Information Commission (KIC) has recommended to the State Government to come out with a legislation on public records on the lines of the Public Records Act, 1993 enacted by the Centre.

Information Commissioner K A Thippeswamy, said such a legislation would streamline the system of preserving and maintaining public records in government offices and also enable penalising those found guilty of unauthorised destruction of public documents.

Speaking at a colloquium jointly organised by Consumer Rights Education and Awareness Trust (CREAT), Bangalore and Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), New Delhi, Thippeswamy said that a committee is being constituted under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to monitor implementation of the Right to Information Act in Karnataka.

Participants at the day-long colloquium came out with several recommendations on successful implementation of the provisions of the RTI Act. B H Veeresh, an RTI activist from Bangalore demanded that RTI cells be set up at Vidhana Soudha, Vikasa Soudha and MS Building to exclusively deal with RTI applications. BBMP and BDA have already set up such cells, he said.

Veeresh also urged the government to frame rules for first appeal under section 19 (1) of the RTI Act 2005.

Founder of CREAT, Y G Muralidharan, suggested that the government should consider appointing social activists and academicians as information commissioners. “In Andhra Pradesh, a journalist has been appointed as information commissioner and recently RTI activist Shailesh Gandhi was appointed as information commissioner of the Central Information Commission. The same examples should be followed in Karnataka too. The government could consider appointing at least one woman information commissioner to KIC,” he added. Activists from across the State felt that there was poor knowledge about the RTI Act at the grassroots level and there was inordinate delay in supply of information. In some cases,KIC’s orders were not being implemented. Some even suggested setting up of an RTI call centre like in Bihar to exclusively deal with RTI applications.

[taurus]

It will be worth examining how effectively the central legislation - Public Records Act, 1993 - is followed!