To start with it is not a National RTI Awards 2009; but a national
level RTI Award. Secondly the FEED-BACK FORM is confucing and
inadequate Fllowing are some of the examples:
1. The first question is "Had you received all information by the time
the hearing took place ?"
Of cource there will be few cases where the PIO get scared
with the notice and furnish the information immediately (before the
hearing take place) when he receive a notice for -hearing. .I could
not understand the relevency of this question.
2. Question 3(a)- " Did you finally get information as per Information
Commissioner's Orders ?
The question should have been " Did you get the information
sought by you fully satisfoed ? If not give reasons..
3. Question 3(b): "If you finally did not get information as per IC's
Orders, then did you approach the commission again by either writing
to them or visisting them to seek compliance of commission's orders ?
- From where the PCRF got such a procedure ?
The FORM does not seek a feed back as to whether an applicant got the
information sought for, did the IC's interpretation of the RTI Act
correct asper RTI Act and if not where did he went wrong, did the
applicant establish that the information was denied without reasonable
cause, did the IC agree with the applicant, did he award penalty, if
not how did he justify his orders for not impossing penalty, was the
applicant satisfied with the functioning of the IC, if not what are
his observations, did the IC was biased or applicant-friendly, did the
IC or SIC or CIC violatted any provisions of the RTI Act and if so
give details of specific case etc., etc. There are innumerable
stero-typed complaints about CIC/SIC from RTI Activists. The PCRF
made no effort to get public response to such allegations.
This survey give an impression that it is done on behalf of government
on specific cityzen-hostile terms of references from government. The
PCRF should have at least circulated a draft pro-forma to known RTI
forums for comments/suggestions. When it want to claim it a National
Authority, it should have at least reckoned the views of the most
prominent RTI Forums.
Still if the PCRF has any respect to public opinin, it should
immediately set aside its present report lest it convey a wrong
message across the nation. The more time it take to set aside, it
will defenitely
attracct more serious allegations and wrath from the RTI Activists
