Govt departments not taking RTI requests seriously

Islamabad : Slow or, in many cases, no response by the public departments towards the information requests made under the Rights to Information (RTI) Law is impeding the effective implementation of RTI in Punjab.

The observation makes part of the findings of a research titled ‘The Efficiency and Implementation of Right to Information Law in the Province of Punjab’ conducted by the Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO).

Findings of the study establish the fact that the government departments are not taking the RTI requests seriously. Out of total 194 requests made by the SSDO research team, only 36 requests received response. In only 20 cases, the response was received within 14 days. The remaining 16 responses were received after filing compliant in the Punjab Information Commission (PIC).

To assess the state of the implementation of RTI law in Punjab, the SSDO research team sent 194 requests seeking information to four selected district departments in 36 districts of Punjab province. These departments included office of Deputy Commissioner, office of District Police Officer, District Health Authority and District Education Authority where request were sent to seek the information related to budget allocation and expenditures over the past fiscal year. Objectives of the study were to identify gaps in the implementation of Punjab Transparency and RTI Act, 2013, and observe the response of public bodies towards the applications made under the law.

As a first step, the requests seeking basic information about the working of selected departments were sent to the relevant officers to check whether the response is received within the timeline of 14-days given in the law. In cases where no response was received in the stipulated timeline, the research team filed complaint in the Punjab Information Commission (PIC), which, under the law, can take further action within 60 days.

The report says that 17 districts of Punjab did not respond to any of the information request. These districts includes Pakpattan, Khanewal, Mianwali, Rajanpur, Lodhran, Sargodha, Rahim Yar Khan, Faisalabad, Kasur, DG Khan, Narowal, Okara, Hafizabad, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Multan.

For 36 requests made to City Police Officer (CPO)/District Police Officers (DPO), only two responses received about the budget of investigation officers. Out of 36 Deputy Commissioners, four answered about the office budget received. Out of 36 District Education Authorities, six responded to information requests on budget. Out of 36 District Health Authorities, five answered requests for information about the budget. Nine responses out of 36 CPO/DPOs approached for information about FIRs registered for certain crimes.

The findings depict the fact that like many other human rights related laws, the Punjab Transparency and RTI Act, 2013 also faces serious implementation challenges. The overall response rate towards the requests filed by SSDO research team remained as low as 18 percent. Whereas, within 14 days of given timeline in the law for response from the relevant government department, only 10 per cent of requests were answered.

Talking to media, Executive Director SSDO Syed Kausar Abbas said that having a comprehensive RTI law was a big achievement for a developing country like Pakistan. “The next stage is to have effective implementation of the law which is only possible with the seriousness of the government departments towards the law but low response rate of government departments towards information requests shows that the Law faces serious implementation challenges which require urgent government attention to strengthen RTI in public institutions and empower Punjab Information Commission.”

He said that the slow or, in many cases, no response by the public departments indicates towards the low level of will to implement the law. “To implement the law in its true spirit so that it can empower citizens, ensure transparency and improve public services by facilitating public participation and oversight, it is imperative to make government departments responsive towards the information requests made under the Law. The Punjab Information Commission needs to take proactive measures in case of denial or delay of information because the public institutions do not consider PIC as a serious notice. The PIC should start putting penalty on the officials who are not sharing or delaying the information requested by a citizen,” he added.