To press for its demand for appointment of Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and Information Commissioners (IC) as per the norms, Soochna Ka Adhikar Andolan (Right to information movement) would hold a single day sit-in demonstration in Bhopal on January 19.
State convener of the movement and RTI activist from the State capital Ajay Dubey in a statement here on Tuesday said, “We have given some suggestions to the State Government regarding the appointment of CIC and ICs and have urged the Government to practice them while making appointments.”
Dubey further said that RTI Act that ensures transparency, accountability and sensitivity in the democracy and for honorable participation of the people in the democracy the new Information Commission should take decisions in comprehensive interest of the people and the ICs should be appointed at all the divisional headquarters of the State. Due to this the people of the state would not have to spend money and time for appearing in the hearings at Bhopal. This would not ensure speedy information to the people but the corrupt would also get frightened, he added.
He said that over twenty thousand appeals are pending in the state in absence of CIC and ICs, hence thee should be resolved in the month of February as per the act by acting on the lines of lok Adalat. The commission would also hear cases online and through video conferencing. The commission should provide hearing dates on its website in advance and should also make available the decision on them on its website, he added.
He said that in cases in which the commission would punish government officials in that it should ensure that the details of this should be registered in their service books. The commission should ensure strict implementation of acts’ section 4 in the government offices and NGO running through government assistance, he added.