The Right to Information (RTI) Act came into force on October 12, 2005. Three years down the line, the Gujarat State Information Commission (SIC) remains one of the most proactive offices in the country, even as activists, the common man as well as the political class have used it to seek information in varied ways. While the law has helped many get access to the information available with the government authorities, it has also been used to serve personal and vested interests in many a case. The Newsline team takes stock of how the use of the RTI Act has fared in the state, detailing important revelations, impacts due to the RTI petitions in Gujarat, candid interview with SIC commissioner R N Das and stories that changed lives, raising hopes, giving fillip to battles in the state.

Delay in disposing complaints a problem area: SIC head

With the Right to Information (RTI) Act completing three years on Sunday, Newsline caught up with Gujarat State Information Commissioner R N Das for a free-wheeling interview. Beyond the Act, he also threw light on resolving the ‘genuine reasons’ which propel citizens to seek information. Often, the stands taken by him have irked the judiciary. Out of the 2,759 cases disposed between October 14, 2005 and March 31, 2008, 133 have been challenged in the High Court.
Das revealed his aspirations, frustrations and observations on the implementation of the people's Act in the state.

* RTI has completed three years. How has the journey been so long in Gujarat?
So far the RTI regime in Gujarat is concerned, I have mixed feelings. The Act has been very successfully implemented in some areas, but the results could have been much better in certain others. What makes me extremely happy is that the Act has percolated to the far-flung areas and the so-called backward districts like Narmada, Dangs and Kutch. I am talking from the number of application that the Commission gets from these districts. A good thing has been that the public authorities have shown a positive attitude towards disclosing information. But people, especially in the rural areas are finding it difficult to use the Act. This needs to be sorted out.

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