Staff shortage at State Info Commission delays orders

Jeeva | CHENNAI: V Madhav, an RTI activist in Porur, recently appealed to the Tamil Nadu Information Commission seeking a direction to the state public department to disclose the status of declaration of assets by IAS and IPS officials. On August 25, the Commission pronounced that the department provide the required information to the appellant within two weeks. Madhav is still waiting for the department to respond to the Commission's directive. Reason: The commission has not been able to deliver the order copy for want of adequate staff. Madhav is not alone. Several others who have filed appeals before the Commission have not got the copies of the orders even a month after they were pronounced. "Earlier, we had been complaining that the Commission was taking over eight months to take up an appeal for inquiry. Now, the appeals are being taken up for inquiry in two months. But still we have not been able to get the order copies on time. In most cases, the commission directs a public authority to provide information within ten days but by the time the order copies are actually delivered more than 40 days have passed,'' said M Thooyamurthy, an RTI activist in Tondiarpet. "We move the Commission only after the public information officer and the first appeallate authority have failed to provide the information. While it takes a minimum of four to six month for a case to reach finality, why should we be made to wait even further? And that too after the prouncement of the order by the Commission,'' said M Sivaraj, another activist, in Vellore. Official sources in the Commission said the delay was due to shortage of staff to type the orders. "We hear 100 to 150 cases a day but we have only one steno-cum-computer operator for each of the seven commissioners. If the state government appoints 10 more persons, we can ensure that there won't be any delay in delivering the order copies. We have now asked our staff to work till late in the evening and also on Saturdays. We will deliver all pending order copies by October 15,"