Warning against misusing RTI Act to harass administration

“The Act is meant to help people and should not be used as a tool to harass the administration” CHENNAI: There are 17 types of information, ranging from log books and records to memos, maintained by a government department which the public can access using the Right to Information (RTI) Act. All that one needs to exercise this fundamental right to information is a sheet of paper and a Rs.10 worth legal stamp. All this and more was discussed at a dissemination meet to commemorate the celebration of RTI week (October 6-12) held at the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University here on Monday. Speaking on the occasion, V. Srikumar, law officer of the University, said that according to official statistics, over 1.11 lakh RTI applications have been filed in the State in the past four years. More than 43,000 applications were filed in 2008 alone. “The trend of seeking information through the RTI is picking up. People are beginning to appreciate the power of the Act and Tamil Nadu is one of the States where a vast number of applications have been filed,” said Mr. Srikumar. “The RTI Act has also made government departments more efficient by forcing officials to maintain the records properly,” said Meer Mustafa Hussain, Vice-Chancellor of the University. “Websites are also promptly updating anticipating request for information,” he added. He however had a word of caution for the public and said that the act is meant to help them and should not be used as a tool to harass the administration. The NCC Directorate organised a lecture on Monday as part of the Week at Agarwal Vidhyalaya in which Sartaj Imam, Deputy Director General of NCC, addressed the students. Awareness rally An awareness rally on RTI Act was organised by the cadets of 1 (TN) battery NCC at Avadi. The unit is conducting a CATC-cum-SSB camp at CRPF, Avadi, from October 6th to October 15th. The rally was flagged off by camp commandant Lt. Col. Ravikumar. About 300 cadets took part in the rally carrying banners and placards spreading the importance of the Act.