The Mahiti Soudha will have all seven courts under one roof to speed up RTI processes in the state
After Vidhana Soudha, Vikasa Soudha and Udyoga Soudha, now Karnataka is set to get Mahiti Soudha, the first of its kind headquarters for RTI processes in the country, expected to boost applications and procedures under the RTI Act. It will bring all RTI affairs and information commission courts under one umbrella. The new RTI headquarters in the state is expected to start functioning from January 30.
Even the Central Information Commission (CIC) has no exclusive building yet, although one is under construction.
The Mahiti Soudha has come up in the MS building premises, adding to the list of 'Soudhas' off Dr BR Ambedkar Veedhi.
Presently, RTI courts are functioning from two premises - one from Nrupa-thunga Road and another from the MS Building premises, out of which most state government offices function. The new structure, however, will have all seven courts in the state, out of ten courts under the RTI act, functioning under a single roof.
This is expected to facilitate appellants, lawyers and PIOs (Public Information Officers) to get their work done faster. Currently, due to the huge pendency of RTI
appeals, at times, cases are slotted on the same day in different courts, making it difficult for all those involved to run from one point to the other.
With two different locations, missing one court hearing results in pendency as the case would go for hearing on another date.
But all that will now be addressed as one can attend multiple cases with all courts coming under a roof, a Karnataka State Information Commission (KSIC) official told Bangalore Mirror.
Like any new government establishment, here too naming the building had been an issue before deciding on one. Initially, it was thought to be named as 'Mahiti Bhavan', a nomenclature that is at the Centre in New Delhi, where the headquarters are named based on specific disciplines -- like Sansad Bhavan, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Vigyan Bhavan etc.
However, as this building is sandwiched between Soudhas, it was decided to name it as Mahiti Soudha. The name was cleared by chief minister Siddaramaiah recently.
The construction of the building has been ongoing for over four years. The new building will have seven courts, a conference hall to facilitate video conferencing, and a board room.
Activists Sceptical
With added infrastructure, RTI activists maintain that it should not become an ego issue; instead, it should boost the functioning of the KSIC.
They said the pendency, which is beyond 30,000, has to be addressed on a priority basis.
"It is a good thing to have a centralised infrastructure. But I hope it would not become an ornamental issue for the KSIC staffers. Instead, it should support the RTI Act in a proper way, that is, the cases have to be disposed of in a speedy manner so that public money utilised on the infrastructure is justified. They should not think of it as a big ego-boosting exercise and become one like Vikasa Soudha or Udyoga Soudha. The infrastructure should translate into speedy delivery of justice. And with all (RTI) courts under one umbrella, they should ensure people don't have to wait for months or years to get the information they want," Wg Cdr (Retd) GB Athri, an RTI activist.
After Vidhana Soudha, Vikasa Soudha and Udyoga Soudha, now Karnataka is set to get Mahiti Soudha, the first of its kind headquarters for RTI processes in the country, expected to boost applications and procedures under the RTI Act. It will bring all RTI affairs and information commission courts under one umbrella. The new RTI headquarters in the state is expected to start functioning from January 30.
Even the Central Information Commission (CIC) has no exclusive building yet, although one is under construction.
The Mahiti Soudha has come up in the MS building premises, adding to the list of 'Soudhas' off Dr BR Ambedkar Veedhi.
Presently, RTI courts are functioning from two premises - one from Nrupa-thunga Road and another from the MS Building premises, out of which most state government offices function. The new structure, however, will have all seven courts in the state, out of ten courts under the RTI act, functioning under a single roof.
This is expected to facilitate appellants, lawyers and PIOs (Public Information Officers) to get their work done faster. Currently, due to the huge pendency of RTI
appeals, at times, cases are slotted on the same day in different courts, making it difficult for all those involved to run from one point to the other.
With two different locations, missing one court hearing results in pendency as the case would go for hearing on another date.
But all that will now be addressed as one can attend multiple cases with all courts coming under a roof, a Karnataka State Information Commission (KSIC) official told Bangalore Mirror.
Like any new government establishment, here too naming the building had been an issue before deciding on one. Initially, it was thought to be named as 'Mahiti Bhavan', a nomenclature that is at the Centre in New Delhi, where the headquarters are named based on specific disciplines -- like Sansad Bhavan, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Vigyan Bhavan etc.
However, as this building is sandwiched between Soudhas, it was decided to name it as Mahiti Soudha. The name was cleared by chief minister Siddaramaiah recently.
The construction of the building has been ongoing for over four years. The new building will have seven courts, a conference hall to facilitate video conferencing, and a board room.
Activists Sceptical
With added infrastructure, RTI activists maintain that it should not become an ego issue; instead, it should boost the functioning of the KSIC.
They said the pendency, which is beyond 30,000, has to be addressed on a priority basis.
"It is a good thing to have a centralised infrastructure. But I hope it would not become an ornamental issue for the KSIC staffers. Instead, it should support the RTI Act in a proper way, that is, the cases have to be disposed of in a speedy manner so that public money utilised on the infrastructure is justified. They should not think of it as a big ego-boosting exercise and become one like Vikasa Soudha or Udyoga Soudha. The infrastructure should translate into speedy delivery of justice. And with all (RTI) courts under one umbrella, they should ensure people don't have to wait for months or years to get the information they want," Wg Cdr (Retd) GB Athri, an RTI activist.