The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information Commission has started visiting government departments to check if they are making their records available for citizens as required to do so under the RTI Act, said Information Commissioner Kalimullah on Wednesday.
Addressing an RTI awareness session organised for businessmen and industrialists at the K-P Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KPCCI) office, Kalimullah said the commission has already visited the local government, irrigation and communication and works departments and asked the relevant officers to abide by the RTI law.
According to Kalimullah, the commission would continue its supervisory visits to keep a check on what government departments are doing to proactively publish their records.
In his address, Chief Information Commissioner Sahibzada Muhammad Khalid urged businessmen to make use of the law and benefit from it.
According to Khalid, citizens are utilising the RTI law to ensure transparency in government contracts as well as institutions. “The commission has so far received 148 complaint requests, out of which 74 have been disposed of during the stipulated time,” said Khalid.
He added the law would soon be extended to the Provincially Administered Tribal Areas.
Citing an example of the transparency brought by the law in official business, RTI Commissioner Abdul Mateen said a citizen filed a request wanting to know about the Chief Minister Secretariat’s use of official helicopters. He added the citizen was provided the relevant details including the trip’s cost and the name of the person who was paid a visit.
“The RTI law is opening those files in government departments which have remained out of citizens’ reach,” added Mateen.
Appreciating the commission’s efforts, KPCCI President Fawad Ishaq said the business community would avail the law. He added corruption and malpractices have now become easier to detect with the RTI law in place.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 16th, 2014.
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Now it's up to the people to use and not the abuse the law.