Railways to handle RTI applications online

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The new system will save money and time for railways while applicants will be able to check status of their cases online

By Yogesh Avasthi

Posted On Monday, October 26, 2009  (Ahmedabad Mirror : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=200910262009102602051146540fb28)

Come 2010, the Ahmedabad railway division will handle RTI cases online to cut cost and time wasted in responding to queries of applicants at present. The initiative is aimed at bringing transparency in the process as well.
Under the new system, railway authorities will scan RTI applications and forward them to departments concerned online instead of sending them through snail mail.
The new process will reduce the average response time to RTI queries and help railways save money it spends on postage.
A senior officer of the Ahmedabad railway division said: “Once the new system is introduced, people seeking information under RTI from any department or zone of railways will just have to submit their applications at the RTI cell at the divisional headquarters here.
The officer at the RTI cell will scan them and send them to departments or zones concerned online in a jiffy.” Sources said a web-based software has been developed to link all the departments and zones of railways.
“Once the integration process is over, we will handle all RTI cases online. The new system, likely to be introduced within three months, will be double bonanza for us. First, we will be able to respond to queries fast and well within deadline. This will ensure we don’t have to pay penalty to applicants for missing deadline. Second, we won’t have to spend on postage,” said the senior railway official.
The new system will be a boon to RTI applicants as well. They will be able to check status of their cases by logging on to the RTI site of railways (http://rti.railnet.gov.in) and typing their names, addresses and numbers of postal orders or drafts attached to their respective applications.
“This will help RTI applicants know if replies sought in applications have been sent to them or still under process. It will also show when replies are expected to reach them,” said the senior officer, adding that all RTI queries would be posted online under the new system. A workshop on online RTI system was conducted in Mumbai last Friday. ADRM RN Prasad, ACM Darshit Priyadarshi and senior commercial inspector Anil Mishra represented the Ahmedabad division in the workshop.
The Ahmedabad railway division received 2,250 RTI applications in the past four years. At present, railway authorities respond to RTI queries in 10-15 days. After the system goes online, they will be able to revert to applicants within a fortnight, said an officer in the commercial department of Ahmedabad railway division.

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