"In responses to RTI requests, collectors pretend to be unaware of V.K. Pandian's extravagant tours in Odisha."

In 2023, V.K. Pandian, a close aide of former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, conducted quick visits to various districts, which caused controversy. Mr. Patnaik had to defend these visits in the legislature, asserting that they had his approval. Interestingly, many district collectors now claim to have no knowledge of these visits.

In response to questions under the Right to Information Act, collectors of Sambalpur, Malkangiri, Puri, and Kendrapaara stated they had no information about the visits.

Pradip Pradhan, an RTI activist, sought information on Mr. Pandian's visits, including the presence of district officials, incurred expenditure, and total grievance petitions received. However, the assistant collector (Nizarat) submitted in response to the RTI application that no information was available regarding the expenditure, date of visit, and law and order.

When another RTI applicant, Pratap Chandra Mohanty, approached the Malkangiri district collector with similar questions, the district’s assistant collector replied, “We are public information officer level, are not able to provide information… We don’t have information about his purpose of his all visits. Circulars of his visits are not found.” The Malkangiri district administration also informed that it did not have any documentary proof or evidence of expenditure made.

Interestingly, the Malkangiri district administration had forwarded the RTI application to the Chief Minister's Office for clarification, but the information was denied on the grounds that the application was not forwarded through the proper channel.

In response to a similar application from Mr. Pradhan, the Kendrapara district collector also informed that his office did not have any available information on Mr. Pandian’s visit. An identical response was also received from the Puri district collector.

In 2023, the former 2000-batch IAS officer had toured almost all districts of the State, covering short distances by chartered flights. The opposition had questioned the authority of Mr. Pandian and the need for such extensive visits. The tours seemed to be well-coordinated, with well-barricaded and covered venues.

On September 25, 2023, the former CM defended Mr. Pandian's visits, stating that they were intended for the speedy redressal of grievances and that a mammoth exercise was carried out at more than 190 locations over a period of six months. He further mentioned that 57,442 petitions were collected from the people and that, to date, 43,536 petitions have been resolved or disposed of.

Regarding criticism of Mr. Pandian's extensive use of helicopters, the former Odisha CM said that Rs. 40 crore was spent on helicopters in the last three and a half years, with an average monthly expenditure of Rs. 1 to 1.5 crore.

RTI activist Mr. Pradhan expressed concern that if collectors are now claiming ignorance about these visits, the government should institute a probe into how funds were used for grievance redressals and how people were mobilized to attend Mr. Pandian's meetings.

Activists alleged that the tours seemed to be a misuse of power, as authorities were reluctant to share information about expenditures related to these grievance redressal sessions.