Chief Information Commissioner Right to Information (RTI) Commission Major Sahibzada Muhammad Khalid (Retd) has said that the KP RTI law is soon to extend to Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (PATA), saying currently citizens mostly from far-flung areas are utilising the law to ensure transparency in government contracts, and other institutions.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information (RTI) Commission started supervisory visits to various government departments to check out for pro-active publications for common citizens under the KP RTI Act, 2013. This was stated by Information Commissioner KP RTI Commission, Professor Kaleemullah during a day-long seminar organized for businessmen and industrialists at KP Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KPCCI) regarding awareness session on the law here on Wednesday.
Chief Information Commissioner KP RTI Commission Major Sahibzada Muhammad Khalid (Retd), Commissioner Abdul Matin, KPCCI office bearers President Fawad Ishaq, vice president Muhammad Iqbal Afridi, former president Ghulam Sarwar Mohmand, Sharafat Ali Mubarak, Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi and other businessmen were present on the occasion.
"To check out what government departments are doing regarding pro-active publication of their records under the law including on their websites, the RTI Commission will continue its supervisory visits as empowered by the law", adding that as an initiative it started doing so by visiting local government, irrigation and communication and works (C&W) departments asking the concerned authorities to abide by the law, Kaleemullah added.
In his address chief information commissioner Sahibzada Khalid urged the business community that, "the real benefit of the law (RTI law) will only be visible once business community and people from other walks of life starts utilising it for transparency and good governance in the province". He informed the participants of the seminar that, "the KP RTI law is soon to extend to Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (PATA) as well", adding that currently citizens including from far-flung areas are utilising the law to ensure transparency in government contracts, and other institutions. He said that, "the commission has so far received 148 complaint requests out of which 74 has been disposed off during the stipulated time".
Besides on the occasion, KP RTI Commissioner Abdul Matin said that, "after the era of around 90 years of official secret act, there is now KP RTI law wherein nothing should be secret now in official business under the law and the law to prevail over other laws which have any act regarding secrecy". Showing the strength of the law, he said that even an information request of a citizen regarding KP Chief Minister Secretariat usage of official helicopter and its total cost and person visited through it have been provided under the RTI law. "The KP RTI law is opening those files in government departments so forth remain out of excesses from common citizens to come across", Matin added.
KPCCI President on the occasion appreciated the RTI Commission for their efforts in implementing the law in its true letter and spirit saying that it was transparency in government departments that could ensure arrest of any corruption and malpractices, adding that the business community would fully avail the law for their benefits. He also presented a souvenir to the KP RTI Commission on the occasion.
Comments
Comments are closed.