Bhopal, Mar 3: RTI implementation appears to have run into a controversy in Madhya Pradesh in its very first year, with the Information Commission accusing the government of not providing it the necessary infrastructure and staff to get the transparency initiative off the ground.

"The kind of sensitivity and positive attitude needed for implementing Right To Information Act is lacking on the part of the government," Chief Information Commissioner Padma Pani Tiwari said. The retired judge said he has been writing to the state government for provision of adequate infrastructure and staff, especially a secretary, since he was appointed to the post a year ago, but has received no response so far.

"We don't have any proper office; only a 28-member staff and inadequate infrastructure. The government earlier allotted a basement in Narmada Bhawan which we rejected as it was not proper and now we are here," Tiwari, sitting at his temporary address at the state Election Commission building, told PTI. He said three information commissioners Iqbal Ahmed, Dinesh Chandra Jugran and Mahesh Pandey were appointed a month ago but "all four Commissioners are sharing a single room".