RTI Activist has been threatened of dire consequence by Govt. official in Bolangir, Orissa

Dear Friends 

Attack on RTI Activists gets rising day by day in Orissa. Mr.  Gopabandhu Chhatria, a BPL RTI Applicant  has been  threatened  of attack by Mr. Birendra Tripathy, SDO, Rural Works, Bolangir on 18.10.2011. In a complaint petition   addressed to Superintendent of Police, Bolangir on 24.10.2011, 
Mr. Chhatria has stated that he had submitted an application seeking information  about newly constructed building for Tahsil office located  before DEOgan Block from the PIO, office of SDO, Rural Works, Bolangir. Without providing information, Mr. Birendra Tripathy made a call from his mobile ( 9437150548)  to Chhatria       (9668523372)  and threatened him of dire consequence, if he  continued seeking information from his office.  Then he handed over his mobile to  a contractor who also scolded  Chhatria and asked him to refrain from accessing any information  from the said office. 

It needs to be mentioned here that Mr. Chhatria, Jarasingha, Dist-Bolangir had sought information about a newly constructed building for Tahasil office  in his area.  Though it was constructed a few months back, this building has  been cracked and water flowing  from the roof.  The work is substandard and getting  no use  for  the people. Apprehending corruption and irregularities in the fund allotted  for the said work,  Chhatria has sought  information to know the details of expenditure and sample of the building.    

Chhatria is yet to get any response from SP, Bolangir, as he shared in a meeting held in Bhubaneswar on 16.11.2011. It needs to be mentioned that last year, Chhatira was arrested by the local police and put behind bar  following a false FIR lodged  against him by the then BDO, Deogan Block  in 2009. His fault was that he had sought information about irregularities in construction of Check Dam.   

Regards 

Pradip Pradhan 

M-99378-43482  

Date-25.11.2011