Srinagar, Feb 21 (KNO): Prominent RTI activist and Chairman of J&K Peoples Forum, M.M. Shuja, has appealed to the Union Territory Government of Jammu & Kashmir to strengthen the provisions and implementation of the Right to Information Act, 2005 to ensure greater accountability and transparency in the administration.
In a statement issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Shuja strongly criticized several Public Information Officers (PIOs) for denying or unnecessarily delaying the supply of information to applicants.
He said, “Even after sixteen years of the RTI Act being in force, some PIOs in various departments are wilfully delaying information.”
Certain PIOs, due to lack of adequate knowledge and training, are misinterpreting the clauses of the Act to avoid furnishing information,” reads the statement.
Shuja urged the Chief Secretary of the Union Territory to organize regular workshops and interactive training sessions for PIOs working across different departments to enhance their understanding of the Act and ensure its effective implementation.
He also demanded the establishment of a separate Information Commission in Jammu and Kashmir, stating that hundreds of second appeals from the Union Territory have been pending before the Central Information Commission in New Delhi for over a year, causing undue hardship to applicants seeking information.
Furthermore, Shuja emphasized that all government departments in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir should proactively update their official websites with relevant records to facilitate easy and timely access to information for the public—(KNO)