Chief state information commissioner Vijay Kuvalekar had organised the programme, which was conducted at the Podar Medical College (Ayurved), Worli, over a four-day period.
The event aimed at disposing of piled up RTI applications at CSIC since 2008. Nearly 19,000 appeals across the state are pending.
“Statistics indicate that the overall response for the programme was good. Many of the appellants also appreciated the attempt. We will try to organise more programmes,” said Kuvalekar.
As part of the programme, the appellant, the public information officer (PIO) and the first appellate authority (FAA) were brought on one dais to discuss the appeals. “This helps in reducing the communication gap between the authorities and the appellant. It also gives the officials an opportunity to provide the information,” said Kuvalekar. “In many cases, the petitioner had already received the information and he would request that the case be disposed of.”
Altogether, 607 appeals were scheduled for the four days. Of these 457 were disposed of, while 150 are pending a second hearing.