SRINAGAR Sept 7: Kashmir’s chief minister Omar Abdullah, who has been sharply criticised for amending rules of the state’s Right to Information Act recently, has said that his government is focused on ensuring good governance and transparency in the administrative functioning.
“From the day one, my government has focused attention on this and on the aspect of strengthening of institutions to give authority to people to make government answerable and accountable before them,” Abdullah told an awami mulakat or public meeting in Srinagar.
The 42-year-old chief minister said his government had ensured that people had the power to “ask any question” to the administration about its performance, financial transactions, allotment of tenders, expenditures made and the physical status of works on ground.
“By the implementation of historic Public Service Guarantee Act, government has authorised people to receive over 50 public services in eight vital departments within a prescribed time-frame making the government functionaries responsible to deliver these in that fixed time limit,” he said.
“Any laxity or failure on the part of government functionary in delivering these services makes him liable for a fine up to Rs. 5000 and a part of which is to be paid to the affected consumer.”
The chief minister said such steps had “topsy-turvied” the system in the embattled Jammu and Kashmir, declared the second most-corrupt state in India by graft watchdog, Transparency International.
Abdullah’s claims of working for a “clean” state were contested last week by activists and politicians alike after rules governing the JK RTI-2009 – considered the most successful tool for bringing accountability in public departments and for tackling graft – were amended.
The changes divested the State’s Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) of initiating proceedings against any officer who failed to provide information within stipulated time.
Although the government justified its decision saying the move was aimed at removing anomalies and to bring it at par with the central RTI Act, the CIC Ghulam Rasool Sofi said the amendments have “taken the soul out of it”.
Main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also opposed the government’s move and said they were “afraid of anything that brings accountability in the system”.
“The government’s latest move on the RTI was part of the organised attempt by the coalition government to demolish all instruments and institutions of transparency, accountability and probity in public life,” PDP president Mehbooba Mufti was quoted as saying by newspapers.
