A BROKEN GATEWAY TO TRANSPARENCY
The Right to Information (RTI) Act stands as a beacon of democratic empowerment, designed to hold governments accountable and amplify citizens’ voices. In Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), however, the much-hyped online RTI system has twisted this promise into a cruel mirage. Promoted as a cutting-edge platform to streamline access to information, it has instead become a testament to inefficiency, technical breakdowns, and administrative apathy, trapping applicants in a labyrinth of delays and dysfunction.
The J&K online RTI portal is a masterclass in frustration. Citizens who meticulously complete applications, upload documents, and pay fees are frequently met with an abrupt redirect to the homepage—no confirmation, no explanation, just a digital abyss. Even when an application breaches this initial hurdle, it embarks on a glacial odyssey, taking days or weeks to reach the relevant department. Once there, it’s often bounced elsewhere without cause, turning a process meant to deliver answers into a maddening game of bureaucratic ping-pong.
This isn’t a minor glitch; it’s a systemic collapse that erodes the very soul of the RTI Act. The portal’s persistent flaws—applications vanishing after payment, opaque processing, and random rejections—smack of either gross incompetence or a calculated bid to suppress inquiry. In a Union Territory already overshadowed by centralized control, this broken system fuels public disillusionment. What does it say when a tool of accountability becomes a wellspring of aggravation?
The National Conference-led government under Omar Abdullah, in office since October 2024, cannot sidestep this travesty. Championing statehood or development rings hollow while the machinery of transparency lies in ruins. The online RTI portal demands an urgent overhaul: fix the technical failures, enforce accountability for delays, and ensure applications are resolved, not perpetually deferred. Citizens shouldn’t be left wondering if their pleas for information have vanished into a digital void.
J&K’s administration must stop treating the RTI portal as a superficial checkbox and recognize it as a lifeline to trust in governance. The current state of affairs is an affront to the people it claims to serve. Transparency isn’t a favor to be grudgingly doled out—it’s a right to be fiercely upheld. Until this overhyped online RTI system is made functional, the government’s talk of progress remains a faint echo in a wasteland of broken promises.
