The Lawyers For Rights successfully organized the workshop on Right to Information Act, 2005 at Guwahati on 22/12/2007 in association with Action Aid India. Nearly 100 (hundred) participants from all over the state attended the workshop in which one of the renowned social activist of the country Shri Aravind Kejriwal was present as a resource person. The workshop was innugaurated by the Chief Information Commissioner of Assam Sri Ranjit Shekhar Mushahary, Sri J. P. Rajkhowa presided over the inaugural meeting.
Mr. Kejriwal dealt on various aspect of the Act in the meet, which witnessed active participation from participants. Some of the participants narrated their experiences in using R.T.I. Another alarming aspect emerged from the deliberation is that activists who seek information is being targeted and attacked by the vested interest groups. Such incidents raise doubt about the effective implementation of the R.T.I. Act.
Lawyers and Social Activist who have participated extremely appreciated Arvind Kejriwal lectures on Right to Information. The response that people pat on us at the post program is like they’ll always cherished the inspiring talk of Arvind.
While speaking at the meet, Kejriwal said that “Awareness about this all powerful tool is gaining ground in Assam, but it still has a long way to go to the hands of the people before they get the maximum benefit out it". He requested the Sate Information Commission to provide more funds for the body responsible for generating awareness about the RTI. In all its effort RTI should be taken to the masses, and especially the poorer numbers, whose ignorance about their rights and entitlement, leads them to innumerable obstacles from various quarters of the society.
He also suggested if Assam could follow the Bihar example on RTI phone line, where poor people can just phone up the officials or PIO’s /APIO’s of the department for information. This first call dialed by the requester for information would be consider as the application. And if the information is not received after 30 days period of the call, then the second call as dialed by the requester after this regulated period would be the first appealed for seeking the information. After this period it goes on and on till the second appeal and thereafter.
In one of its response to the queries by the participants on whether information could be access from the private companies, he said all information even from such private parties could be obtained indirectly. Such as to get information from the Air Tel which is a private body the information could be requested from the statutory bodies like Telecom Regulatory Authority of India known as TRAI (in short). Similarly the information from the private school could be access if such school has received benefits like land or in kind of any forms. The private school should also provide information if there are state laws while regulating such school power and functions.
Former Assam State Chief Secretary lamented that RTI awareness is not up to the desired level in the state. He said NGO’s should pitch in with their support to raise awareness about this all powerful tool in the hands of the masses so that corruption is done away with and a transparent government comes in to being. R.S Mooshahary,IPS (retd) in his inaugural speech lauded the state of Assam for disposing off the RTI cases within the stipulated time of three months, where as the other states takes longer duration. In part of his speech, he said corruption is the biggest terrorism prevailing in the society.
The L.F.R. remains thankful to all those who help us successfully organized the workshop and remains specially thankful to Sri Partha Gogoi for help provided by him at his friends.
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