Officials are not ready to share information under the RTI Act, say visually challenged people

September 27, 2021 06:37 pm | Updated September 28, 2021 07:01 am IST - Madurai

Visually challenged people stage a demonstration in front of the Madurai Collectorate on Monday.

Visually challenged people stage a demonstration in front of the Madurai Collectorate on Monday.

Accusing some of the officials in the Differently Abled Department at the Madurai Collectorate of ill-treatment and refusal to share information under the RTI Act, members of ‘Parvaiyatror Maruvazhvu Nala Sangam’ staged a demonstration here on Monday.

The members led by its president P. Kumar assembled in front of the Collectorate and shouted slogans against some of the staff members and officers.

“Knowing well about our disability, the officials ill treat us,” said Mr. Kumar and claimed that though they had sought information under RTI Act about the funds allocated to the department from the State government for disbursal to the differently abled persons during the COVID-19 pandemic, the officials were refusing to part with the details.

“Refusing under some pretext or the other, the staff in the department rejected the RTI application, not once, but twice. When we attempted to contact the higher officials, they too responded in a cold manner. We have no other option but to approach Chief Minister M. K. Stalin as the official machinery either ill-treats or neglects us,” they charged.

The members also suspected that rice and other essential commodities given by the State government for the differently-abled persons were not issued by the officials, Mr. Kumar claimed and urged the new government to conduct a thorough probe.

They submitted a petition in this regard to Collector Aneesh Sekhar during the grievance day meeting.

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