Date:28/07/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/07/28/stories/2006072807500400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Information panel shifts office

Special Correspondent

It will now function from the Multistoreyed Building

387 complaints received from January 1 to June 30, 2006
151 petitions have been disposed of

Eight to 10 petitions received daily

BANGALORE: The State Information Commission disposed of 151 petitions seeking information under the Right to Information Act, till June 30 this year.

Addressing presspersons on the occasion of the office of the commission being shifted from the Vidhana Soudha to the Multistoreyed Building here, State Chief Information Commissioner K.K. Misra said the commission received 387 complaints from January 1 to June 30, 2006, of which 236 were pending. The petitions mainly related to urban development, housing cooperative societies, city municipal councils and development issues at the panchayat level, he said.

The Right to Information Act came into force on August 1, 2005 and, since then, the performance of the commission had been "fairly good," Mr. Misra said.

On an average, the commission received eight to 10 applications a day seeking information on various issues. Information had been denied only in the case of three applications since they pertained to investigation by the police and personal matters of people, he added.

The commission's office has been shifted to the third floor, third phase (gate 1), Multistoreyed Building following the tightening of security at the Vidhana Soudha and inadequate space. The relevant telephone numbers are: State Chief Information Commissioner (080-22371191, fax - 22371192), State Information Commissioner (22371193) and Under-Secretary and Public Relations Officer (22371194).