Query proves costly for couple, set to leave Raj

AJMER: Seeking information on the reason for the non-renewal of her contract under the RTI from the organisation that she was working with proved costly for 26-year-old Piyusha Tiwari. For, her husband Rishu Garg, who was also working with the same organisation, was allegedly demoted for the same.
According to Piyusha, who was working as a project with the Association for Rural Advancement through Voluntary Action and Local Involvement (ARAVALI), an state government organisation aided by the Unicef, the who story began when her salary for two months were blocked after a new management took over the associate NGO of Aravali that she was working with.
"I was working with an associate NGO of ARAVALI in the health sector since 2008. In 2009 the management of the organisation changed and I started facing harassed from by seniors. They disrespect me and when I revolted they blocked two months payment without assigning any reason," she said.
Later NGO discontinued her working contract without assigning any reason. "At this I filed an application under the RTI wanting to know the reason behind the non-renewal of my contract and also the reason for holding back two months pay," she said.
But just about a month after the application, according to Piyusha's husband Rishu Garg, he was demoted. "A month after the application under the RTI later I was demoted from the post of a regional co-ordinator to project officer without quoting any reason. I had been in the post of a regional co-ordinator for four years," he said.
The Aravali also turned down the RTI application stating that their organisation was a NGO and did not fall in the preview of the Act.
That triggered the struggle of the couple and they went door to door in all government departments seeking justice since the last two years. They also filed applications to the state information commission on March 18, 2010 to which commissioner MD Korani instructed the management of Aravali to supply the information to the applicant.
Meantime Piyusha also filed a complaint to Bharat Singh, rural development and Panchayati Raj (RD & PR) minister and also chairman of the ARAVALI.
But while the wife continued her fight to get the reason of her dismissal, her husband started his search for the demotion and he continuously wrote and went to the different bodies of the state government seeking justice. "We went door to door. But all in vain. We did not even get the information as ordered by the state information commission. I have filed another application in commission informing about it," added Piyusha.
But her complaint to the minister seemed to have come good. For the deputy principal secretary of RD&PR ministry last October issued order to the management of Aravali that it is only the management of the organisation that would take administrative decisions and that it is upto the minister to decide on matters of renewal of contracts..
"But we are tired and just want to live peacefully," cried Piyusha. The couple has now decided to start their career anew and to leave the state forever.
When contacted executive director of the organisation Sanjeev Kumar said, "The matter of seeking information is pending in the state information commission therefore it is not right to comment on it." He added that they have prove as to why was Rishu demoted.