RTI: Accessing info difficult for applicants staying outside Arunachal Pradesh

By Tejang Chakma


The Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005 came into force in Arunachal Pradesh along with the rest of the country on 12 October 2005 after 120 days of its enactment. The State Government framed the “Arunachal Pradesh Right to Information Rules 2005” which was notified vide No.OM-43/2003 dated 15/09/2005 for smooth and effective implementation of the provisions of the RTI Act. Subsequently, many amendments were made to the Rules. 

There is no denying the fact the RTI Act has brought marked improvement in the functioning of state government departments. In 2009, the State Information Commission became the first in the country to issue an arrest warrant against an erring Public Information Officer (APIC No. 42/2009, Complainant: Tago Pai Camdir). In fact, this led to the State Information Commission winning the RTI Awards 2009 in the Best Information Category.

This writer has filed several applications from various departments and received the information in time.  In some instances, the information was provided without charging further fee as cost of documents when the number of pages to be provided is few.

However, it has become difficult for applicants especially who reside outside the state to access information in recent times. This is due to the strange RTI rules in particular the “mode of charging the fees”. According to the Rules, an applicant has to deposit the fee in way of “Treasury Challan” to the “Head of Account 0070.” No other mode of payment is entertained such as Indian Postal Orders (IPO) and Bank drafts. It is almost impossible for someone in Delhi to get a Treasury Challan. Treasury Challan is not easily available and it is time consuming. The condition of the State Bank of India branches in Delhi is well known.

Consequently, this writer has failed to submit fees for information in a number of applications and literally had to stop seeking information under the Act.


It is unfortunate that despite many amendments made to the Rules this important issue was not addressed. The state government needs to immediately amend the Rules to include other mode of fees such as IPOs, bank drafts, etc to make it more people friendly.