Information Commission formed

Commissioners appointed, but no office
The government on Wednesday formed the three-member Information Commission, with retired secretary M Azizur Rahman as chief information commissioner, under the Right to Information Act 2009 that came into effect in its entirety on the day.
The other commissioners are retired secretary Mohammad Abu Taher and Professor Sadeka Halim, teacher of Sociology at the Dhaka University, according to a gazette notification issued by the information ministry.
As per the law, every citizen from now on has the right to get information although the government offices are yet to be equipped with a mechanism to deliver it on demand, said official sources.
Although the Act, excepting three of its provisions — demand for information, disposal of appeals against refusal to provide information and lodging complaints with the Information Commission against such denial — was enforced with retrospective effect from October 20, 2008, no information delivery unit has yet been set up in any government office and no set of rules for the effective enforcement of the Act has yet been framed in accordance with its provisions.
On Tuesday the acting information secretary, Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, told New Age that the Information Commission would frame the necessary rules for implementation of the law, originally introduced by the interim government of Fakhruddin Ahmed on October 20, 2008.
He said that the information ministry had already asked other ministries/divisions to take necessary measures for implementation of the law.
The Information Commission, to be located in Dhaka, shall function independently and supervise the general activities related to the people’s right to information, and will have the power of a civil court under the Code of Civil Procedure 1908. It will receive complaints against any authority for refusing to impart information.
If any official refuses to provide information, individuals can file appeals with the information commission. The official concerned, if found guilty, may be penalised Tk 50 every day of the delay, but the total sum shall not exceed Tk 5,000.
The authorities have neither prepared any office nor appointed any manpower for the commission as yet.
‘We have sent a letter to the housing and public works ministry, asking for a building to house the commission’s office. If we do not get the allocation, we will have to rent a house for the purpose,’ said an official concerned.
It is mandatory for the authorities concerned to appoint an officer responsible for the ‘information delivery unit’ in each government office within 60 days of the enactment of the Act, according to the law enacted on April 6.
It will take more time to make the government offices at various levels, including ministries, directorates and departments, ready for ensuring the people’s right to information according to the law, said a senior official of the information ministry.
The people seeking public information will have to apply in writing/prescribed forms or by e-mail to the designated officers by paying a reasonable fee to be fixed for the specific information.

Courtesy of NewAgebd