Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Maintain continuity of tenure of Information Officers, says official

HYDERABAD: C.D. Arha, Chief Information Commissioner of the State, pleaded for certain continuity in the tenure of officers designated as Information Officers and Appellate Authorities of various government departments under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Speaking at the recent national convention on RTI Act at New Delhi, Mr. Arha cited several instances where the Information Officers and Appellate Authorities were transferred even after they were imparted training.

The practice must be checked to avoid unnecessary expenditure. He also suggested payment of honorarium for these officers as they bore extra burden. It would be an incentive for time bound disposals by them. He brought to the notice of the convention that 50,065 out of 59,826 (83.6 per cent) applications were disposed in the State since the RTI Act came into force in 2006.

The rate of disposal of appeals and complaints was 86 per cent. This was against a pendency of 79.4 per cent in Maharashtra. Andhra Pradesh and Assam were found to be ahead of other States in proactive disclosures.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu