All
of us are aware that we got the
Right to Information as a legal
right after a long drawn struggle
and sacrifice. The Right to Information
was expected to be an instrument
to usher in fundamental changes
in governance and administration.
However, the picture that is emerging
is in sharp contrast to our hopes
and expectations from this historical
legislation.
Officialdom
and bureaucracy is not the least
happy about the passing of this
sweeping law and feel that this
is an attempt to throttle the immunities
and privileges which they have so
long enjoyed.
In
fact the bureaucracy from colonial
times through a long tradition of
secrecy has developed a habit of
being unaccountable to citizens
at large. They believe that they
are not servants of the people but
their bosses. They are totally averse
to any kind of challenge to their
powers from the citizenry. They
feel that being accountable to the
public is not their business. This
is reflected in extreme resistance
on their part to provide information
to applicants under the Right to
Information Act. The officialdom
also feels that providing information
will expose their corrupt deals
and irregularities committed. Two
such classic examples of bureaucratic
high handedness were recently seen
in Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh.
Shivkumar
Mishra, a local resident’s
son is a student of Class 6 of Government
High School at Gursaddi in the district.
The school charges monthly fees
every month, but no receipt is ever
provided to the students. When Mishra,
sought to know the reasons for the
non issuing of the fees receipt,
instead of providing information,
the school authorities threw his
son out of the school. Subsequently,
he had to run from pillar to post
and had to file a first appeal and
make representation to the District
Collector to get his son readmitted
to the school.
In
another equally shocking incident,
Deena Nath Singh, a project professional
of a Non-Governmental Organisation,
the Sahbhagi Shikshan Kendra (SSK)
who is posted in Mirzapur district,
sought some information relating
to the revenues and expenditure
of the Mirzapur Municipal Council
for the last five years. He had
to face many difficulties in order
to get the information.
Under
instructions from the Municipality,
the local landlord of the premises
which was housing the office of
this NGO gave a Notice to Deena
Nath to vacate it immediately; he
was also threatened and humiliated.
Even after this the information
he had sought was not provided to
him.
No
government department in this district
has declared information under the
proactive disclosure norms of the
Right to Information Act.
These
two episodes are symbolic of the
numerous challenges a citizen has
to face in exercising the right
to information.
The
main objectives of the Right to
Information Act are to empower every
citizen and bring a transparent
and accountable system of governance.
However, it is a moot question whether
in the face of extreme resistance
and disregard for law by the bureaucracy,
we can achieve these hallowed objectives.
This is a serious issue which must
be addressed by all who believe
in true democracy and political
empowerment of common citizens.
Civil
Society had played a heroic role
to achieve this most fundamental
right and also protect it from onslaughts
to dilute its character once it
was enacted.
Today,
Civil Society should again rise
to the massive challenge through
a peoples’ campaign to ensure
that no public official is allowed
to disregard and distort this right
and they are made to fully respect
and comply with it or else this
right would become a toothless tiger.
