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Sunday, December 22, 2013
Interview to TOI on 31 Oct 2013 -- trg govt staff for RTI
PANAJI: After the Constitution, the Right to Information (RTI) Act is one of the best tools for good governance in the country, but it is still new and we will try to organize training programmes for government departments in RTI, Goa chief information commissioner (CIC) Leena Mehendale told TOI on Wednesday. She was sworn in as Goa CIC on October 24.
In an exclusive interview with TOI, Mehendale also said that she hopes to clear up the pendency of about 1,300 RTI complaints and appeals with the information commission within four months. Mehendale has filled the post that was vacant for about 15 months and she will herself get 15 months as Goa CIC before her term ends.In a candid admission, Mehendale, a former bureaucrat, said that "historically, government officers are not used to giving information" unless they are dealing with legislative assembly questions. But the RTI Act requires that information be dispensed within a particular time-frame and therefore, "some discipline will have to be set in".
In an exclusive interview with TOI, Mehendale also said that she hopes to clear up the pendency of about 1,300 RTI complaints and appeals with the information commission within four months. Mehendale has filled the post that was vacant for about 15 months and she will herself get 15 months as Goa CIC before her term ends.In a candid admission, Mehendale, a former bureaucrat, said that "historically, government officers are not used to giving information" unless they are dealing with legislative assembly questions. But the RTI Act requires that information be dispensed within a particular time-frame and therefore, "some discipline will have to be set in".
Reiterating that government officers are "not geared to disclose information", Mehendale feels that the RTI Act is still young in India and that part of her job is to facilitate training among government offices in order to bring transparency in governance. But she is aware that she does not have the means and not even the premises for the purpose. Mehendale says central government grants can be availed of for this purpose.
First she has to get her own house in order. Her office computer does not have an internet connection, the post of state information commission is vacant, a number of other posts are vacant and the present office at the Panaji Patto plaza is cramped. During her recent courtesy call on chief minister Manohar Parrikar, she has apprised him of all these problems and he was very supportive, she says. In fact, he has even allocated new premises for the state information commission in the old Goa medical college building at Ribandar. The renovation will take two or three months, Mehendale said.
Has she heard of the perception in some quarters that the present BJP government is making it difficult to obtain information under RTI? She has. In fact, some RTI activists who came to welcome her told her about a government circular that made it mandatory for RTI applicants to file an affidavit regarding their citizenship. But when she took up the matter with the chief minister, he explained that it was wrongly worded and that he had instructed that the circular be withdrawn.
What made her give up her cushy job as member of central administrative tribunal in Mumbai and come to Goa? "In Mumbai, even if you look from the corner of your eyes, all you see is concrete. In Goa, you see green surroundings, open spaces, blue skies and blue seas," said Mehendale, who loves classical music and has written 24 books, including six on administration.
First she has to get her own house in order. Her office computer does not have an internet connection, the post of state information commission is vacant, a number of other posts are vacant and the present office at the Panaji Patto plaza is cramped. During her recent courtesy call on chief minister Manohar Parrikar, she has apprised him of all these problems and he was very supportive, she says. In fact, he has even allocated new premises for the state information commission in the old Goa medical college building at Ribandar. The renovation will take two or three months, Mehendale said.
Has she heard of the perception in some quarters that the present BJP government is making it difficult to obtain information under RTI? She has. In fact, some RTI activists who came to welcome her told her about a government circular that made it mandatory for RTI applicants to file an affidavit regarding their citizenship. But when she took up the matter with the chief minister, he explained that it was wrongly worded and that he had instructed that the circular be withdrawn.
What made her give up her cushy job as member of central administrative tribunal in Mumbai and come to Goa? "In Mumbai, even if you look from the corner of your eyes, all you see is concrete. In Goa, you see green surroundings, open spaces, blue skies and blue seas," said Mehendale, who loves classical music and has written 24 books, including six on administration.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Mehendale takes over as Goa CIC -- The Hindu
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/mehendale-takes-over-as-goa-cic/article5270994.ece
PANAJI, October 25, 2013
TODAY'S PAPER » NATIONAL » KARNATAKA
PANAJI, October 25, 2013Mehendale takes over as Goa CIC
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‘Priority to clearing backlog of complaints and RTI applications’
Governor Of Goa Bharat Vir Wanchoo (first from right) swearing in Leena Mehendale as Chief Information Commissioner at Raj Bhavan in Panaji on Thursday.
Leena Mehendale, former Additional Chief Secretary of Maharashtra, was on Thursday sworn in as the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) of Goa by governor B. V. Wanchoo at Raj Bhavan.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and other dignitaries were present. Ms. Mehendale will formally take charge of the Commission on Monday.
Ms. Mehendale took over nearly three months after her selection on July 29 by a high level committee headed by Chief Minister. Her selection was approved by the cabinet on August 14. She resigned as Member of the Mumbai bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal before taking over as CIC.
The post of CIC has been lying vacant for more than 15 months and RTI applications and complaints before it are piling up.
Taking charge
Speaking to presspersons after her swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhavan on Thursday, Ms. Mehendale said her immediate priority would be to clear the pending appeals and complaints at the Goa State Information Commission (GSIC).
She emphasised on training the people to use the RTI as tool of empowerment in the best interest of democracy.
Responding to a question about growing misuse of RTI, Ms. Mehendale admitted that it was indeed happening, but “one should be able to separate grain from chaff”.
When asked how she could function as a single member of the GSIC when a Bombay High Court ruling states that the SIC has to be a multi-member body, Ms. Mehendale said the Supreme Court had clarified later that it could function and as such there would be no problem for her in functioning.
She added that the State government had initiated the process of appointing State Information Commissioners (SICs) and in due course of time they would be appointed.
Speaking to presspersons separately at the Raj Bhavan on Thursday, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said, “Technically, we have only one post of SIC for the GSIC. Therefore, we will have to take a decision of the Cabinet to create another post. That would be done and the process for filling up the SICs posts would be taken up in right earnest”.
Opposition
Earlier this week the Bombay High Court at Goa dismissed a writ petition filed by RTI activist Aires Rodrigues challenging Ms. Mehendale’s appointment as CIC. The High Court order observed that the recommendation by the high-powered committee was done in a “reasonably appropriate manner”.
Adv. Rodrigues said he and other supporting activists would approach the people’s Court against the appointment of Ms. Mehendale as CIC. Stating that while the government on one side was clamouring and blowing the trumpet of Special Status for Goa, Adv. Rodrigues and Advocate Rui Fereire said it was despicable that on the other hand the government was ‘importing’ a CIC from Maharashtra.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Oil Mafia killing govt official
Something on Dhule Oil Mafia
Nothing has been done so far," ...
www.thehindu.com, 30 Jan 2011 [cached]
Nothing has been done so far," ...
www.thehindu.com, 30 Jan 2011 [cached]
Nothing has been done so far," Leena Mehendale, the then Nashik Divisional Commissioner, told PTI.All that we learnt was that no action was going to be taken (on the report)," said Ms. Mehendale, who retired last year as Additional Chief Secretary.
The then Dhule District Collector had initiated the report, she said.She suggested that rationing inspectors should get the right to file cases in court.
She examined two years' audit of fuel consumption and was shocked to see no proper records were being kept by kerosene and petrol dealers.
Ms. Mehendale said she had discussed the issue with the then Law Secretary.
...
...
Ms. Mehendale had discussed the issue with the then Law Secretary of Maharashtra, seeking an amendment to the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
...
Ms. Mehendale prepared the report based on the then Dhule Additional Collector's monthly figures on fuel adulteration.
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