The Odisha Soochana Adhikar Abhijan (OSAA) staged a rally in front of the State Assembly here on Monday demanding dismissal of State Information Commissioners and withdrawal of "anti-people" Odisha RTI Rules, 2005.
Around 200 RTI activists from across the State also staged a demonstration in front of the office of the Odisha Information Commission (OIC) at Satyanagar here and then took out a procession towards the lower PMG shouting slogans in protest against the commission's irregularities. later, they handed over a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister and Governor urging them to order an inquiry by a Supreme Court Judge into the alleged illegal activities and malfunctioning of the OIC under Section 17 of the RTI Act.
OSAA convener Pradip Pradhan demanded that the State Government make amendment to the Odisha RTI Rules. The activists would also stage a two-day dharna from Tuesday during which 100 selected RTI activists would hold relay hunger strike in support of their demand for dismissal of the commission.
The implementation of the RTI Act has come to grinding halt due to the "anti-people" Odisha RTI Rules, absurd and illegal compulsory application Form-A which the common people cannot fill up at the time of applying for information, said Pradhan. He also accused the commission of illegally collecting fee for information from BPl people, devoting only two hours in a day for hearing, denial of information by the PIOs as well as the Information Commission, disposal of more 7,000 cases without hearing and ensuring no information to the RTI complainants.
He also alleged the Commission is giving decision of the cases in English rather than Odia language, haphazard disclosure of information under Section 4(1b) of the RTI Act and that too in English and doesn't hold civil society consultation on implementation of RTI matters.
Among others, OSAA core team members Tapan Padhi, Jayant Das, Nilambar Mishra, Bikram Swain, Arun Swain, lalit Mishra, Raju Singh and Sanjeeb Satapathy took the lead of the demonstration.