Dimapur: In a big push toward the Right to Information, the Nagaland Information Commission launched the hybrid mode of hearing at the new Nagaland Commission complex in Kohima on Thursday.
State Chief Information Commissioner I Meyionen Jamir launched the hearing.
In his address, Jamir stressed the importance of technology in ensuring access to justice by providing a hybrid mode hearing to all litigants for the hearing of complaints and appeals which shall be at the discretion of the applicants/appellants. It is also to provide e-filling of complaints and appeals in a streamlined manner to every litigant, he added.
Jamir said the Nagaland Information Commission has now two studios for conducting virtual/online hearings of appeals and complaints through video conferencing which will facilitate applicants/appellants/complainants, especially from remote areas, to participate in the hearing without the need to travel to Kohima or the Nagaland Information Commission from the comfort of their homes.
He said the applicants have also the option to attend the hearings of the commission either by physical appearance or by virtual hearing using mobile applications like Google Meet, Zoom, Cisco WebEx or Bharat VC, etc.
Besides, the applicants have the freedom to utilise the video conference studios which are readily available in the office of the National Information Centre in all the district headquarters, he said.
Also, under the direction of the Supreme Court, a facility for online filling of second appeals and complaints to the commission is now made available under the e-service portal (previously known as e-district project) developed by registering in the portal at http://service.nagaland.gov.in, Jamir said.
He said the commission has also compiled the e-mail and mobile numbers of the FAAs, PIOs and APIOs of all the public authorities in the state.
It will give alerts to the FAAs and the PIOs as and when the second appeal and/or complaints are filed online to the commission on the above-given portal/link.
While filing online of second appeals or complaints, the applicant also needs to upload their RTI application or first appeal mandatorily and utmost care should be taken to file or submit to the rightful public authority, Jamir added.