Rat ate property files: Udayamperur Panchayat's shocking RTI response

TRIPUNITHURA: In a bizarre twist, an RTI applicant seeking property details of a local people's representative was told that the file had been destroyed by rats. The response, issued by the Udayamperur Gram Panchayat has left the complainant, P P Raju, in disbelief.

Raju had filed an RTI application on June 10, requesting details about the property holdings of the 2nd Ward People's Representative, as well as information on the number of Gram Sabha meetings held and the attendees. While the second and third requests were addressed in a response dated June 29, the Panchayat's reply mentioned that efforts to locate the property information had been unsuccessful.

Following this, Raju filed an appeal on July 5. In a reply signed by Panchayat Secretary K.H. Shaji on September 4, it was revealed that the relevant files had been damaged and destroyed, allegedly by rats in the record room.

Raju now suspects foul play, questioning how the rodent managed to selectively target only the property files. The incident has sparked concerns about transparency and record-keeping in the local body.