Right to information: Dillydally over project details

According to the Right to Information Act, it is compulsory to provide all information as applied for, other than regarding certain restricted matters. However, government officials dillydally over providing information projects and fund allocation. This was evident from the details in the information commission's annual report of 2023.

The tendency to prevaricate over providing information related to projects and fund allocation increased last year as compared to 2022. Concerned persons say, there are allegations of all sorts of corruption related to development projects and that is why the officials hesitate to provide project-related information.

Not receiving information from the concerned authorities in 2023, the aggrieved applicants submitted 686 complaints to the information commission. The information commission took 324 of these into cognizance. The highest number of these complaints, 52, was about not receiving information related to various projects. And 29 complaints were lodged with the commission for not receiving information regarding fund allocation. Other complaints included 17 regarding tenders, 12 regarding recruitment. Complaints were made to the information commission for not receiving due response to applications regarding 106 different types of information.

The most complainants at the commission are general members of the public, 198 in all. Next are journalists at 120. Among those who complained to the information commission last year for not receiving project-related information is Md Shariful Islam Bhuiyan of Khagrachhari.

According to the information commission documents, on 10 April 2023 Shariful Islam Bhuiyan submitted an application to the district executive engineer and the concerned official asking for specific information regarding development projects of five financial years, under Khagrachhari's Road and Highways Division. Not receiving the information within the stipulated time, he made an appeal on 21 May. On 6 June, the appeal authorities instructed the executive engineer to provide the information. However, Shariful was not given the information. In fact, not only did the assigned officer not provide the information, but he issued a letter to the applicant asking for Tk 68,000 as information costs. He did not mention any code where the money was to be deposited. Later Shariful complained to the commission.

Taking Shariful's complaint into cognizance, on 15 November last year the commission held a virtual hearing with both parties. The commission decided that the free flow of information had been obstructed by the failure to provide information. The commission instructed the information provider to provide the information and warned the executive engineer to be careful in future.

In some cases the government officials not only delay in providing information, but even harass the concerned persons. For example, last March journalist Shafiuzzaman was sentenced and sent to jail after he had sought information from the office of the Nakla upazila nirbahi officer in Sherpur.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, upazila correspondent of Desh Rupantar, Shafiuzzaman, said that on 5 March he had gone to the UNO office, applying under the Right to Information Act, for information on the purchase of computers and laptops under a certain project. After submitted the application, he asked the concerned official there for a 'received copy' (acknowledgment of receipt) of the application. He was asked to wait. Then at one point of time, the UNO Sadia Ummul Banin came and verbally abused him. She called the executive magistrate, assistant commissioner (land).

Shafiuzzaman said that the magistrate sentenced him to one month imprisonment under Section 188 of the Penal Code for obstructing government work and six months' imprisonment under Section 509 for insulting a woman.

The information commission investigated the incident on its own volition. On 2 April the commission recommended that departmental measures be taken against the Nakla UNO for obstructing the implementation of the right to information act by not cooperating to the provision of information.

Information commissioner Shahidul Alam, speaking  to Prothom Alo, said the government's policy is that all information that is not confidential, is to be made public. The information settles all complaints that it receives. Action is also taken against those who obstruct the free flow of information.

In 2023 there were complaints filed with the information commission against 114 types of authorities. The most complaints, 20 in number, were against the offices of the upazila project implementation officers. This was twice than the year before.

Executive director of Transparency International (TIB) Iftekharuzzaman told Prothom Alo, development projects are the most steeped in corruption among all the areas of corruption in the country. Though these projects are taken up in public interest, it is alleged that these are rife with corruption. The evasiveness of the officials in providing project-related information seems to be a reflection of this.