We have full sympathy with the State Information Commission which is let down by the Public Authorities time and again. The SIC is trying to remind all the Public Authority institutions about their commitment to the clauses of the Right to Information Act that stipulates suo moto disclosure of information for the convenience of the public. What reflections can be made on important institutions like State Accountability Commission, State High Court and State Human Rights Commission, among 70 Public Authorities, which were not showing compliance to directives on suo-moto disclosure of information? DE has been highlighting this matter recurrently. It seems that these Public Authorities are not really interested in bringing information to the ordinary people nor are they showing any interest in providing facilities to those who want to apply and seek particular information. Section 5(1) of the J&K Right to Information Act stipulates that every Public Authority shall within one hundred days of the commencement of the Act designate as many officers as the Public Information Officers in all the administrative units or offices under it as may be necessary to provide information to persons filing applications under the Act. Defiance to the provisions of the Act is to the extent that none of these Public Authorities has appointed Public Information Officers (PIOs) and Assistant Public Information Officers (AIPOs) and designated First Appellate Authority (FAA) in blatant violation of Jammu and Kashmir Right to Information Act, 2009. By adopting negative response is it not that these Public Authorities are sending message loud and clear that they don’t want transparency at all in their functioning. What has the Government to say to questions like these? Obviously more questions will be asked if things do not show any improvement. It is a sad day that the authority of the State Information Commission is being deliberately weakened and diluted.
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