THRISSUR: An RTI application filed with the Thrissur corporation office has exposed the official apathy towards a widow who applied for a widow pension after she lost her husband over two years ago. Sheeba, a housemaid and wife of Kadavi Jose residing at Mullakkara in the corporation limit, had applied for widow pension two-and-a-half years ago at Ollukkara zonal office of the corporation on October 4, 2014 but did not get any response from the office for some time.
Later, when she was told that her application had been forwarded to the Thrissur corporation office. She visited the offices of the civic body 13 times and complained to the Thrissur Mayor on March 31, 2015. "I was then told to approach PC - 4 section of the civic body to get an update on my application. During my last inquiry, I was told that my application was missing and I approached 'Neerkazhcha,' an organisation of RTI activists," Sheeba said.
As there was no proper response to the first RTI application, an appeal was filed before the corporation additional secretary. Fearing action and fine for delay in processing the application as per the Right to Service Act, the corporation officials replied on December 9 that she would be given widow pension with retrospective effect. The copy of the RTI document which is with DC says that after she filed her application in 2014, as many as 1497 applicants were given widow pension by the civic body.
