RTI status on your finger tips, in your phone

With just an SMS you can now know the status of your RTI application, date of hearing, whether the application is rejected, or the hearing is adjourned and even details of the case and of the person or the department against whom the RTI has been filed.

All details can be accessed from anywhere in India. But the service, introduced by the Karnataka Information Commission (KIC), is limited to only those cases which have been filed before the commission and not to other departments.

To avail the service, you will be charged STD rates for SMS according to the tariff plan of your mobile phone service provider.

Announcing the launch of the service on Wednesday, state information commissioner HN Krishna said that it was introduced as many visit the office periodically to know the status or even call to know the status of their applications.

This will save their time and is economical as well.

Explaining the process, he said once the application is received along with the mobile number of the applicant, the commission sends an SMS to the petitioner in three stages — after the case number is generated, after the case is posted for first hearing and after the case is disposed.

In the meantime, if the petitioners or respondents need to know their case status they can send an SMS to 9212357123 with their
case number.

In case the petitioner does not given the mobile number, he can set the case details by entering his name or address in the official website http://kic.gov.in and then submit the mobile number along with case number in the prescribed format.

One can track details of cases through SMS, which have been filed since 2008. Taking the service further to citizens last week, the commission launched a video conferencing facility in all district headquarters.

Till date, they have heard 18 cases through this mode, of which 12 have been disposed. Krishna said that cases will be disposed of through video conferencing on Saturdays.

The petitioner and the applicant will be informed in advance of their time slot and they would have to be present at the office of DC or CO.

Furthermore from January 1, 2011, the KIC will also introduce their website in Kannada for the convenience of locals. A link from the English portal will also be provided for the same.

Till December 28, 2010, the commission received 15,886 cases, of which 6,960 cases have been disposed. In 519 cases, action has been taken against officers failing to provide information to the applicants and a fine of Rs22,69,750 has been levied.