The Hindu Business Line : Right to Information: Bengal lags behind

Kolkata, July 1 When it comes to sharing information with the public, West Bengal is lagging behind other States going by the number of applications seeking information filed at its different departments. This was stated by Mr A.K. Bhattacharya, the State’s Chief Information Officer here on Tuesday.

Speaking on the sidelines of a seminar on the Right to Information (RTI) Act organised by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce, Mr Bhattacharya said, “It is true West Bengal is lagging behind other States in the number of applications.

However, it is faring better in terms of quality.” When asked to elaborate, he said, “People here can easily access information through the Web sites of different departments.”

When asked about the number of RTI applications filed last year, he said it was difficult to share such information unless a written request was sent to the Information Commission’s office.

However, he said that “last year nearly 15,000 RTI applications were filed in the State in comparison to about 1.5 lakh applications in Maharashtra.”

Of the total number of applications, 1,500 came to the Information Commission as complaints and second applications, he said, adding that 90 per cent of such cases were settled by the Commission.

“Corporates are known to be more transparent than the Government and public authorities should follow them as far as transparency is concerned,” he said.

While Mr Bhattacharya pointed to a lack of awareness on RTI among the people and authority, Mr N.G. Khaitan, Senior Partner, Khaitan and Company, said, “It is the duty of the commission and other bureaucrats to inform people about their basic right to information.”

Mr Bhattacharya said the State Commerce and Industry Department had recently submitted details about the deal between the State Government and Tata Motors for the Singur small car factory.

“The information should have been provided earlier when it was more relevant,” he added.

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