RTI activist reaches civic body office with band and bullock-cart in celebration, to collect 9,000-page information

Makhan Dhakad, a Right to Information (RTI) activist celebrated his request for information being accepted by reaching the local civic body office on a bullock cart amid beating drums to pick up 9,000 pages of information. He stated that it was a two-month-long struggle and had to pay Rs 25,000 for the information.

Dhakad, who resides in Bairad town of Shivpuri district in Madhya Pradesh, created a buzz among locals when he reached the municipality office with a band on Friday afternoon to collect the loads of papers containing information about the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) that he had sought under the RTI.

A video of his act surfaced on social media.


Talking to reporters, Dhakad said he had filed an application seeking information about the PMAY about two months back, but the Bairad civic body denied the information. He also stated that he was asked to pay Rs 25,000 by the civic body, but was not given the documents despite the payment. He then appealed to the higher appellate authority of the Urban Administration Department in Gwalior, which ordered the civic body to provide the information to him.

The RTI activist claimed that he had arranged funds by taking loan from his acquaintances.

"So when I was told that the information I had sought under RTI was ready, I decided to celebrate the occasion by hiring a band and going on the bullock-cart to carry 9,000 pages of information," he said.

He said it took him and his four friends two hours to count the pages.

When asked, Chief Municipal Officer of Bairad Nagar Parishad, J N Para, said that the civic body provided information to Dhakad only after he deposited the fee.

Four employees were assigned the work and it took five days to arrange the photocopies of all the documents asked by the activist, he said.