Ten years after he retired as a government driver in Rajasthan's Bundi district, 65-year-old Raman Kumar is yet to receive any pension benefits.
He claims officials never gave him any reason for penalising him. Three years ago he even appealed to the Information Commission but to no avail.
"It costs me Rs 500 each time to come from Bundi to Jaipur. Uptil now, I've made 175 trips to meet the Commission and its officials. But none of them have given me any help," said Raman Kumar.
Like Raman, people from across Rajasthan who turned up for the public hearing on implementation of the RTI had much to complain.
From officials denying information to the Information Commission repeatedly postponing its hearings, to no penalties even after corruption has been proved- Activists say laxity of the government and the Information Commission is killing the spirit of the RTI Act.
"The Rajasthan Information Commission has not really spoken for the people. They have not penalised when they should have. They have not ensured that when orders of the Commission are violated, there should be compliance so that people get the relief they need," said Aruna Roy, social activist.
Three years after it was set up, the Commission remains a largely toothless tiger. Over 70 per cent of its sanctioned posts are vacant and not even 10 per cent of Information Officials in the state have received any training to tackle RTI cases.
"The delay is because of lack of facilities. From infrastructure, to staff to the number of commissioners to having a building of our own, everything is lacking," said M D Korani, Information Commissioner, Rajasthan.
From their testimonies, its clear that people are keen to check the bungling that affect their lives. But unless the Information Commission displays a firm commitment to implementing the RTI Act, combating corruption will remain an elusive dream. In Jaipur, Rajan Mahan, NDTV.
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