Nearly two months after The Wave Andaman filed Right to Information (RTI) applications with the Agriculture and Tourism Departments of the Andaman and Nicobar Administration, both remain silent. The statutory 30-day deadline under the RTI Act has long passed, leaving crucial questions about farming and tourism policy unanswered.
The applications sought data central to the islands’ economy. From the Agriculture Department, specific figures were requested on the inflow of fertilizers, quantities of DAP and others imported from the mainland, their costs, and district-wise distribution. For farmers who depend almost entirely on these supplies, such information is not a bureaucratic formality but essential to planning their crops and securing their livelihoods.
The Tourism Department was asked to disclose details on projects under review, funding models, partnerships, and investor tie-ups. Queries also sought transparency on publicity spending: annual budgets over the past four years, actual expenditures, event-wise breakups, names of hired agencies, and records of participation in tourism expos. Even the Cellular Jail’s Light and Sound Show was covered, with a request for year-wise ticket sales.
By law, such information should have been disclosed within 30 days. Section 7 of the RTI Act is explicit on timelines. The departments’ silence not only violates this mandate but also raises questions about accountability and transparency in governance.
“RTI was created to empower citizens and check arbitrary decision-making. When departments ignore deadlines, they undermine the very spirit of the law,” said a transparency advocate familiar with the process.
The delay has left both farmers and citizens in the dark, unable to track fertilizer flows, scrutinise tourism spending, or debate policy decisions with facts in hand. As weeks stretch into months, the unanswered queries have turned into a test of the administration’s commitment to openness.
For now, the questions remain on paper. The public, like the media, still waits for answers that should already have been delivered.
