Team Herald
PANJIM: The Opposition Congress party on Tuesday strongly objected to the appointment of Atmaram Barve as the State Information Commissioner (SIC), since he is an active member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and has been serving as the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
Demanding withdrawal of Barve’s appointment immediately, the Congress urged the government to reconsider this appointment and choose a candidate who is independent, impartial and has a proven track record of upholding transparency and accountability. The people of Goa deserve an Information Commissioner, who will serve the public interest, not political interests.
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) vice-president Sunil Kawthankar said that Barve’s proximity to the office of the Chief Minister and his role as OSD till recently created a clear conflict of interest, which undermines the credibility of the Goa State Information Commission. Barve’s appointment compromises the principles of transparency and accountability, which are the very foundations of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
However, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant claimed that the appointments for the post of State Information Commissioners were made based on clearly set criteria.
A three-member committee constituted for the purpose does the selection, he said adding that the person must be a post-graduate with experience in public administration, and whosoever satisfies the criteria applies for the post.
When queried if the appointment of a person who has been OSD to CM on the post can be termed impartial, Sawant countered as to why such an appointment can’t be impartial.
Meanwhile, the minutes approving the names of Arvind Kumar H Nair, former Goa Chief of Intelligence of Bureau, MHA and Atmaram Barve, former OSD to CM as the State Chief Information Commissioner (SCIC) and the SIC respectively, were signed on Tuesday.
Reacting to the appointment, Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao, who is a member of the Selection Committee said, “I had objected to the selection of Barve as SIC because he is OSD to CM and there is no question of neutrality. But CM and WRD Minister Subhash Shirodkar overruled me and selected Barve by a majority. He (Barve) belongs to a political party, but they told me that it does not stop him from getting the post.”
Former State Election Commissioner Prof Prabhakar Timble said, “Pramod Sawant government toes the lines of the BJP government at the Centre by reducing the statutory institution of the Goa State Information Commission to almost a frontal wing of the BJP like the ABVP, BJPYM, etc. Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have established records of destroying constitutional institutions like the CIC, ECI and independent bodies like the ED, CBI. In Goa, Sawant is all out to put party worker and personal OSD as the SIC. He is making statutory institutions pygmies.
Goa RTI Forum president Digambar Naik said, “The government adopted the wrong process in selecting SCIC and SIC. No search committee was appointed nor suggestions from the public were taken.”