State govt. should strengthen Lokayukta Organisation, says Upalokayukta Phaneendra

Upalokayukta K.N. Phaneendra has stressed that the State government should take action to strengthen the Lokayukta Organisation, considering the previous recommendations already submitted.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Mr. Phaneendra said that it was a long-pending recommendation to the State government for strengthening Lokayukta by appointing the required staff, he added.

The Uplokayukta pointed out that the State government should give permission to the Lokayukta Organisation to appoint its staff members separately instead of posting Home Department officers for the post of Superintendent of Police, Deputy Superintendent of Police and others.

He also said that the Uplokayukta posts in each revenue division are to be created and the retired High Court judges are to be appointed and also take the Lokayukta Organisations to the district level where retired district judges or retired army personnel should be appointed to extend service effectively and deliver justice to the aggrieved persons.

Mr. Phaneendra said that the administration in Yadgir district has not reached up to people’s expectations. Officers are seemingly inefficient and trying to shift their individual responsibility to others.

“The apathy is that the public don’t have knowledge about Lokayukta and its power to deal with corrupt officials. Therefore, people should come forward to file complaints against the injustice meted out to them and seek relief,” he appealed.

To a question, he replied that as many as 150 cases pertaining to the district were registered, and of them, 75 cases have been brought here for inquiry. Out of them, 50 cases have been disposed of, a recommendation has been sent to the government to conduct a departmental inquiry in three other cases, and 40 fresh complaints have been received during the public grievances.

The Upalokayukta said that the drain water through the nala is flowing into Bhima river and therefore, a suo motu case has been registered against the CMC Commissioner for his lapses in maintaining proper flow of the drainage water.

Mr. Phaneendra warned that cases would be registered against those who file false cases. “In one instance, we booked a criminal case against a person and sent him to jail,” he added.