Ghate to fast, demanding RTI Commissioners for Goa
ANIL LAAD, MADKAI | 21 April 2013 15:37 IST
RTI national awardee Rajan Ghate has announced indefinite hunger strike from 23 April, demanding immediate appointment of Information Commissioners for Goa.
He made the announcement at the RTI convention held in Madkai today.
“I want a firm assurance by chief minister Manohar Parrikar on the floor of the House that he would begin a transparent procedure to appoint the information commissioners within 15 days”, he later told goanews.com.
Goa RTI Commissioner’s office does have neither chief information commission nor state information commission for over a year now.
Both the persons selected by the government caught up into controversy as they did not fall in the criteria.
As a result, lots of petitions made before the RTI Commissioner are lying undecided.
This has obviously affected the whole process of supplying information as there is nobody to hear the grievances of the people.
According to Ghate, he had a telephonic talk with Parrikar today morning and the CM has promised him to begin the process immediately.
He decided to go on a hunger strike as his petition made to the CM on 8 March was not even replied to.
“I want the chief minister to repeat the same assurance on the floor of the House”, he told goanews.com.
Ghate also claimed that Parrikar has told him that he does not want to appoint any retired judge since the petitions will have to be then heard through the lawyers.
Ghate, when asked, said he does not mind the government expediting the procedure of appointment with the same old list of applications and recommendations.
Ghate, in 2010, was awarded a national honour as the best RTI activist, at the hands of Anna Hazare.
