TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar Monday said that the two vacant posts of the Central Information Commissioner (CIC) and State Information Commissioner (SIC) in the state will be cleared by July 29th and bio data of those short listed will be updated on the website.
The chief minister also promised that the demands of the RTI forum on women’s reservation would be forwarded to the committee for a decision, after a delegation of the RTI forum including chief Srikant Bharve met him Monday and listed their demands.
Parrikar Monday visited RTI activist Rajan Ghate, who was on an indefinite hunger strike for the past five/six days at Azad Maidan demanding that appointments be made to the posts. Ghate broke his fast after the chief minister offered him coconut water, and assured him that the appointments would be made.
However Ghate told media that in case the assurances were not fulfilled, he would resume his fast.
The politician turned RTI activist was on an indefinite hunger strike, demanding the appointment of impartial information commissioners.
The high level committee for appointing the information commissioners consists of the chief minister, deputy chief minister Francisco D’Souza and opposition leader Pratapsing Rane.
India Against Corruption (Goa Chapter)in a communiqué had argued that the CM’s actions on an Uttarakhand-type Lokayukta for Goa and on the appointment of the RTI Commissioners were in complete contradiction to his grand promises and stated “zero tolerance to corruption” when he was swept to victory on the anti-corruption wave. IAC Goa also urged the CM to consider a woman as one of the appointees.
