Chandigarh, Oct. 20 -- The absence of a dedicated state-level regulatory body or commission for the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, has eroded the legislation's effectiveness in Chandigarh. Designed to empower citizens to seek details on government budgets, expenditure, project status, and annual performance, the law is increasingly being reduced to a paper tiger.

Unlike states with dedicated State Information Commissions (SICs), Union Territories like Chandigarh rely on the Central Information Commission (CIC) in New Delhi as their second and final appellate authority. Responding to the structural gap, the office of the home secretary, Chandigarh, said: "Chandigarh is a UT without a legislature. Under the Right to Information Act,...