Information Commissioner Vijaya Babu blames IAS for having attitudinal problems
10 Nov, 2013Andhra Pradesh Information Commissioner P. Vijaya Babu has said that the attitude of some officers from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is vitiating the atmosphere and leading to the undermining of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005.
While conducting the hearing of complainants from Nellore, Prakasam, Guntur, Krishna and Guntur districts at Vijaywada, the Information Commissioner allegedly told the a leading media house that the IAS officers were trying to wriggle out from the ambit of the RTI Act. He referred to the G.O. No. 20 which excused the IAS officers from attending the RTI hearings. He called upon the RTI activists and the general public to oppose the move as it would defeat the very purpose of the RTI Act, 2005 while talking to the media. Vijaya Babu is likely to conduct hearings for two days.
He said that some IAS officers were having ego problems about coming to hearings before the information commission. He said that “Some of them still feel that they are royalty. They are still continuing traditions that were in vogue during the British Rule.” As per the hierarchy, the protocol for the Information Commissioner was similar to that of the Chief Secretary and the State Election Commissioner. However, he alleged that none of the officials were attending to them.