PANJIM: "My propriety is to reduce the pendency of cases," said Leena Mehendale, who was sworn in as Chief Information Commissioner Thursday.
25 OCT 2013
TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: “My propriety is to reduce the pendency of cases,” said Leena Mehendale, who was sworn in as Chief Information Commissioner Thursday.
Mehendale, IAS (retired) became the first woman CIC of Goa and was former additional chief secretary of Maharashtra. She took over the official charges Wednesday evening, almost three months after her selection on July 29, by a high level committee headed by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
Governor of Goa Bharat Vir Wanchoo administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mehendale, in the presence of the Chief Minister, at a ceremony held at Raj Bhavan, Thursday morning. The office of the CIC would be temporarily housed at Shramashakti building at Patto and would be later shifted to GIM Ribandar.
A former Indian Information Service officer of 1974 batch (Maharashtra), Mehendale has served in positions like of Collector, Commissioner, Settlement Commissioner including as a judicial officer under various Acts, such as, Land Revenue, Tenancy, Watan Abolition, Land Acquisition, Resettlement, Municipal Act, Urban Land Ceiling and Departmental Enquiries.
After State government sent her the offer letter, Mehendale resigned as member of the Mumbai bench of the central administrative tribunal. Thereafter her appointment was challenged in the High Court via a petition which was dismissed earlier this week.
The post of CIC has been lying vacant for over 15 months and over 20,000 applications are pending before it with 2,000 adding every day. “My priority would be to reduce pendency,” Mehendale told media persons adding that she will take stalk of all pending cases before clearing it up.
Speaking about the Right to Information Act (RTI), Mehendale quipped that there is need for large participation of people in RTI Act. “Through this act (RTI), plans and policies of the government are known to the people and hence they can give their opinions,” she added.
CIC said that although the act gives a tool for the common man to keep a tab on functioning of the government, it cannot be used to the fullest till now, as it is still in the developing stage.
Speaking to media persons, later Chief Minister said that the new, redrafted circular on RTI making it mandatory for the RTI applicant to prove his Indian citizenship while moving an application under the act, would be out in next three-four days.
