‘Portal down since 2017, no report in 4 yrs’: RTI activists meet Bihar data panel officers

The Bihar State Information Commission (BSIC) doesn’t appear to half with a lot details about its functioning for someday now: its web site not working since 2017, the panel not submitted annual experiences since 2015-16, and all this regardless of a Vidhan Sabha committee expressing concern saying that annual experiences by a fee, company or board must be tabled earlier than the Assembly in the beginning of each monetary yr.
A delegation of RTI activists on Monday met the BSIC’s high functionaries to debate their considerations. “There are over 20,000 pending cases, including over 6,000 of second appeals. We took up the matter of the absence of an online tracking system because of its official website not functioning since 2017,” mentioned S P Rai, who was a part of the delegation.

A Google search doesn’t present any official hyperlink and directs it to the central info fee’s official web site, which suggests a personal web site hyperlink.
Ajay Chourasia, one other different RTI activist who was a part of the delegation, mentioned the panel has maintained that it might probably concurrently entertain solely 20 queries of an applicant regardless of no such cap within the RTI Act.
Santal Singh, an Aurangabad RTI activist, alleged the panel has been returning purposes for second enchantment on “trivial pretexts” corresponding to not attaching an affidavit or self-attesting the appliance.
The activists claimed that a number of purposes have been pending for disposal since 2015. Vishwanath Sahani, an RTI applicant from Madhubani, mentioned, “I had sought information on the status of scholarship money distribution in schools from Benipatti block education officer. My second appeal (filed in 2015) is not taken up yet.”
Former Bihar Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Choudhary mentioned, “It is a matter of serious concern that the state information commission’s annual report is not being tabled… During my tenure, I had ensured that maximum boards and commissions did so. If the information panel is not willing to share information, what else can one expect from government departments.”

Former Assembly Speaker and now JD(U) minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary had mentioned in 2019 that the Assembly’s Public Undertakings Committee would take up such issues.
BSIC Secretary Suresh Paswan, nevertheless, mentioned, “We are trying to sort out website issues. We have now engaged an IT manager to set things right. We are also trying to ensure that our annual reports are prepared.” He mentioned the panel met RTI candidates to assist resolve their considerations.