Team Herald
PANJIM: In spite of raging controversy over the appointment of new State Information Commissioners, the State government finally went ahead with appointment of the State Chief Information Commissioner (SCIC) and the State Information Commissioner (SIC) on Tuesday.
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Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai administered oath of office to Aravind Kumar H Nair as the State Chief Information Commissioner and Atmaram Barve, who was Officer on Special Duty (OSD)-II to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, as the State Information Commissioner at a function held at Durbar Hall, Raj Bhavan.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Cabinet Ministers, MLAs, MP Sadanand Shet Tanavade, Advocate General Devidas Pangam and Commissioner for NRI Affairs Narendra Sawaikar were also present.
Earlier, Director of Information and Publicity Dipak Bandekar read out the order of appointment of SCIC and SIC.
The three-member selection committee had approved the names of former Goa Chief of Intelligence of Bureau, MHA and Chief Immigration Officer Aravind Kumar Nair and Atmaram Barve, for the two posts, which had fallen vacant since March this year.
Both, Nair and Barve will hold office for a term of three years or till they attain the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
Currently, more than 360 appeals, 28 complaints, and 23 penalty cases are pending before the Goa State Information Commission.
Opposition parties, civil society members and activists have expressed the fear that both appointees may be used to suppressing rather than sharing information.
Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao said, “BJP has put one more step in association with Governor Sreedharan Pillai to destroy statutory, Constitutional institutions and democracy, by appointing its member and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s OSD Atmaram Barve as State Information Commissioner. Barve is elevated to stop people from getting RTI.”
