Commission on regional imbalance formed by Odisha govt a farce, says RTI activist

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Jan 2:

Constitution of an inquiry commission on regional imbalances by the Odisha government was nothing but a farce and waste of public money, an RTI query has revealed.

RTI Activist Pradip Pradhan, Petitioner
RTI Activist Pradip Pradhan, Petitioner

The information provided by the Public Information Officer (PIO) on Nov 25, 2014 states that the commission was constituted on Feb 20, 2004 to conduct free and fair  investigation  into existing  regional imbalances in the development of the state in terms of  different  socio-economic parameters  and to suggest the remedial measures  required to be taken  to address the existing regional disparities  in the development of the state  and to halt this trend.

Though the time period of the Commission was fixed for 6 months, it was extended up to Aug 6, 2008 (around 4 years) for the date of submission of the report.

A copy of the report was denied to the applicant, RTI activist Pradip Pradhan, on the ground that it was ‘under scrutiny’ by a sub committee constituted by the government.

“The commission took more than four years to produce the report. But a sub-committee constituted to scrutinise the report has already taken six years, but is still scrutinizing the report.  It speaks volumes about the efficiency of the Naveen Patnaik government,” Pradhan said.

Pointing out that the commission has spent Rs. 51,95,000.00 of public money, Pradhan said the report should be presented in the public domain  at the earliest.  “It would be eye-opener  for the people to understand  the reason for regional imbalance in the state,” he said.

“Every time an issue crops up or public protest becomes too hot to handle, the government sets up an inquiry commission or a judicial inquiry commission to inquire into the matter and in a way divert the attention of opposing political parties and general public alike. This probably is the easiest way to push the matter into cold storage,” the RTI activist said.

 

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