BENGALURU: Four days after The New Indian Express published a report on Karnataka’s Right To Information website (RTIonline.karnataka.gov.in) being not functioning for over a month, the portal is now back online and is fully functional.
TNIE had reported on June 27 that the website was functioning in mid-June, but the payment gateway was not, rendering it useless at a time when citizens are seeking information about the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The RTI website is used to file applications, check the status of RTI queries, and file first appeals. RTI activists and users had said that the website not functioning amounts to lack of transparency and accountability and would give room for unchecked corruption.
The website, managed by the e-governance department, was facing technical issues. The Karnataka Information Commission had highlighted the problem with the department, but it was not fixed till this newspaper highlighted the issue.