‘Gaikwad wrong for RTI post’
Right To Information activists have opposed the appointment of former chief secretary Ratnakar Gaikwad as the chief information commissioner of Maharashtra. The activists claim Mr Gaikwad’s record isn’t clean, and he is involved in several scams like the Adarsh scam.
“I have already lodged my objection with the Maharashtra governor, stating that Mr Gaikwad is under the CBI scanner for his role as the MMRDA commissioner; that was when he issued the occupation certificate to the Adarsh Society,” said Anil Galgali, an RTI activist.
Another charge against Mr Gaikwad is that during his tenure as the chief secretary, the RTI Act was amended for the benefit of state officials. “Now, with his appointment, the RTI Act will face a certain death,” he alleged.
Another activist Krishnaraj Rao wondered how nobody else was selected for the post of the state CIC. “Ratnakar Gaikwad is a tainted bureaucrat, not only in the Adarsh scam, but in other scams that have so far not been taken up by law enforcement agencies. Surely, the scarcity of candidates in Maharashtra is not so severe that the government knowingly chooses a tainted and manipulative bureaucrat, surrounded by lobbies and
internal politics,” Mr Rao said.
The activists are even gathering protest letters from the public and plan to send them to governor K. Sankaranarayanan. RTI activist Gaurang Vora is compiling these with an intention to appoint a clean candidate for the post.
“His (Mr Gaikwad’s) appointment has been done in a non-transparent and arbitrary manner, despite over 50 activists urging the governor to use a transparent procedure of selections,” Mr Vora said.
“To hear the mounting pendency of RTI second appeals and complaints, it is urgent to appoint a chief SIC and at least three other SICs... But it is equally important to ensure that the person who is appointed for five years does not become a costly liability and embarrassment… (sic),” reads the letter that will be sent to the governor.
Mr Gaikwad will take the oath in the presence of the governor on Friday morning. He retired as the chief secretary of Maharashtra on May 31.
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