Guv right on ICs: Activist
Magsaysay award-winner Sandeep Pandey has said he approves Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan putting his foot down on Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy’s choice of information commissioners.
In an exclusive talk with this newspaper on Monday, the social activist said the AP experience of pus-hing “ineligible persons” as information commissioners should be a signal to the Centre to effect changes in the selection process.
“The selection process should not be what it is now. Some drastic changes should be brought in,” said Mr Pandey, who is here to participate in a series of programmes on inc-reasing awareness on the Right To Information Act. The RTI activist said the selection should not be left to three political leaders, and the procedure of announcing the list of applicants immediately after the leaders’ meet should be done away with. A proper notification must be issued in advance inviting applications; and scrutiny of the applicants must take place, he said.
Mr Pandey also expressed concern over the existing system wherein the government’s choice becomes final. The Governor at best can send back the file for reconsideration of the names. On the government filling the information commission with retired bureaucrats who, when they were in service, tried to hide information from people, Mr Pandey said in some cases, non-bureaucrats proved to be more ineffective than former bureaucrats. “There are a lot of suggestions against making bureaucrats as commissioners. People from other walks of life should come forward to take up the job,” he said. The social activist was also surprised at the government hiding its orders by making them “confidential”. “Once it is an order it ought to be made public,” he pointed out.
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