The 108kg RTI: Transparency or Tactic?

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## Buried Under Paper: An Activist's Fight for Transparency Turns Bizarre

Imagine asking for some information from the government... and getting buried under a literal mountain of paper! That's exactly what happened to Pankaj Arora, a dedicated activist in Haryana, India, whose pursuit of transparency has taken a truly bizarre turn.

Pankaj, a local bookshop owner, filed a Right to Information (RTI) application with the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED). He wasn't just curious; he wanted to see details about government contracts (tenders), how staff were hired, and how public money was being spent. He suspected something wasn't right – a "multi-crore scam," he alleged.

What he received in return was nothing short of astonishing: a staggering **37,443 pages of documents**, weighing over **108 kilograms**! To get this information, Pankaj had to pay a hefty fee of Rs 80,000. Yet, he claims, the department never even cashed his cheque and demand draft.

Pankaj's frustration is palpable. He says thousands of the pages are completely useless, just copies of agreements he never asked for, while the crucial details he *did* ask for – like specific tender processes, GST payments, and audit reports – are missing. He believes this "information overload" is a deliberate tactic to hide alleged financial irregularities and discourage him.

The PHED, through Executive Engineer Sumit Garg, defends their actions. They state they provided information "as per the RTI application" and that compiling nearly 40,000 pages took significant effort. Regarding the uncashed payment, Garg claims the issue arose because the payment was made in the name of Pankaj's businesses, not his personal name. They also dismissed his request for digital copies, saying he didn't specifically ask for them.

This isn't just about one man and a pile of paper. It raises serious questions about how transparent our government truly is. Is this a deliberate tactic to overwhelm and discourage citizens from asking tough questions? If getting basic information means being buried under a literal ton of paper, how can ordinary people hold authorities accountable?

Pankaj Arora isn't giving up. He's taken his fight to the State Information Commission, hoping they will intervene. He believes this is a record-breaking response, designed to intimidate activists. But for now, he remains determined to uncover the truth, no matter how many pages it's buried under.

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