Guwahati Dec 20 PTI With several departments failing to submit their annual reports to it despite repeated reminders the Assam Information Commission has recommended to the state government to take action against them In the annual report of the Assam Information Commission for 2020-21 tabled in the state assembly on Monday the panel said seven departments failed to submit their reports on the public authorities under their jurisdiction despite several reminders These departments include Education Elementary and Higher Finance Parliamentary Affairs and PWD Roads Twelve more departments submitted partial reports without covering all the public authorities under them The commission strongly recommends suitable action against the departments which have failed to comply with statutory provisionsof the RTI Act the report said It termed efforts by the state government to create awareness regarding provisions of the Right to Information RTI Act as inadequate and advocated for more measures to encourage greater participation of women and people from rural areas in filing RTI applications Iterating that filing of RTI petitions complaints and appeals is restricted to a small group the report pointed out that more than 90 per cent of all RTI complaints and second appeal petitions filed before it are by a group of six to seven activists Filing multiple RTI applications before different authorities on the same subject or before the same authority by an applicant may amount to disproportionate diversion of resources it said The commission iterated its proposal for the deletion of CID and Bureau of Investigation of Economic Offences BIEO from the list of exempted organisations under the RTI Act as these are investigating agencies and not intelligence and security organisations which are kept out of the purview of the RTI Act It also suggested that the amended RTI Rules be published without any further delay PTI SSG MM MM

Guwahati Dec 20 PTI Over 45 lakh cases are pending in the courts across Assam including the Gauhati High Court the state assembly was informed on Monday In a written reply to a query by AIUDF MLA Ashraful Hussain the Judicial Department of the Assam government said 41313 cases are pending in the high court and 413627 cases are under trial in lower courts Various courts are established in every district and sub-divisions to clear the pending cases it stated Seventeen special POCSO Protection of Children from Sexual Offences courts have also been set up to try cases related to sexual exploitations on children On the reason for such pendency the department said the courts could not function since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and they are trying to dispose of the cases now PTI TR NN NN