Udupi: K.M. Chandre Gowda, State Information Commissioner, said on Wednesday that officers should give information sought by applicants under the Right to Information Act, 2005, within a limited time frame.

He was chairing a meeting on cases in which information was sought by applicants under the Right to Information Act. A training programme for officers related to the Act was organised on the occasion too.

Mr. Gowda said that if the officers did not have the information sought by the applicants, they could be directed to the authorities concerned within a limited time frame. But the applicants should not be made to wait unnecessarily to get the information sought by them.

As many as 71 cases had been registered with the Karnataka State Information Commission from Udupi district. Of these, over 50 had been disposed before the applicants. The dates would be fixed for the hearing of the remaining soon, he said.

Later, Mr. Gowda provided information about the Act to public information officers of all departments. He clarified their doubts on various issues related to the Act.

Speaking on the occasion, Priyanka Mary Francis, Deputy Commissioner, said that it was incumbent on all officers to have full knowledge of the Right to Information Act. They should deal with the applications seeking information expeditiously. All departmental offices in the district should install boards with details of the provisions of the Act on it within a week.

They should maintain separate registers to take down details of the applications received. They should submit reports on the action taken by them to the Deputy Commissioner’s Office, Ms. Francis said.

G. Anuradha, Additional Deputy Commissioner, welcomed the gathering and proposed a vote of thanks later.