Finds survey on RTI law
Around 80 percent of the respondents in a survey said they had hardly received any information they had requested from officials concerned, who are bound by law to provide information in 20 days. The respondents said they had to wait 25 to 30 days only to receive partial or vague information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2009, according to the survey report released yesterday.
However, almost all the respondents who were information officials at public and private institutions denied the allegation, claiming they had provided information within 20 days.
The preliminary findings of the survey were revealed at its launching ceremony at the Information Commission in the capital.
The title of the survey report is “Stakeholders’ perception survey on the functioning of the Information Commission in implementing the RTI Act, 2009”.
Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) conducted the survey among 45 participants — representatives of civil society and non-governmental organisations, journalists and information officials — between September and October this year.
The report mentions that about half the respondents think leniency in punishing the violators of the RTI Act discourages people to request information.
Around 60 percent of the respondents felt the need for some changes to the act, including reduction of the period to disseminate information and inclusion of all private and independent institutions.
About the performance of the Information Commission, around one-third respondents observed that its activities were inadequate to promote the use of the act.
At a discussion on the findings after the programme, Chief Information Commissioner Mohammed Farooq said the commission would expand its activities with the stakeholders for proper implementation of the act.
The commission had already started consultations with the stakeholders at different meetings, seminars and workshops, he said, adding that it would monitor the union information service centres across the country.
Information Commissioner Prof Sadeka Halim remarked that information officials assigned at some public institutions, such as those dealing with land or electricity, are uncooperative and reluctant to provide information due to fear of their seniors.
BEI President Farooq Sobhan, who chaired the launching ceremony, said the act must be implemented if corruption is to be reduced and accountability ensured at the institutions.
The programme was addressed by Information Commissioner MA Taher, among others.
-With The Daily Star input
