Karnataka - Others   

Bureaucracy causing delay in amendment to Act: Venkatachala

By Our Staff Correspondent

HUVINA HADAGALI, NOV. 16. The Lokayukta, N. Venkatachala has said that there is a delay on the part of the State Government in amending the Act to give more powers to the Lokayukta as the bureaucracy appears to be averse to it.

"We have sought certain amendments to the Act and the same is pending before the Cabinet for its approval. Amendments are necessary to give more powers to conduct thorough investigations of irregularities at various levels in the Government, collect evidence and recommend action against the guilty. The amendment is a simple matter but the Government is yet to take a decision in this regard," he said.

Grievance redressal

The Lokayukta, who began his tour of Bellary district from here today, visited various government offices and held public meetings to redress the grievances of people. He told presspersons that the amendments, among other things, included granting permission to the Lokayukta to prosecute officials. "If permission is given, things would be set right on their own. I have written a letter to the State Government and also to the Union Minister for Law in this regard," he said.

Mr. Venkatachala said he would urge the State Government to bring in suitable amendments to the Act to ensure the eradication of corruption, proper functioning of government departments, and that benefits of welfare schemes reached the needy.

Investigation

To a question, he said that he had laid more stress on seeking powers for investigation so that the Lokayukta could conduct thorough investigations and recommend action against the guilty with supporting documents and evidence.

When his attention was drawn towards public opinion that no action was being initiated against officials even after several lapses had come to light, he disagreed that this was a trend. "Things are changing. There is a lot of awareness among the public and people have been coming forward to complain against officials," he said. He was of the opinion that people should launch a movement against corruption.

H. Sudarshan, head of the Task Force for Education and Health, and S.N. Jayaram, Deputy Commissioner, accompanied Mr. Venkatachala.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

Officials told to be prepared to tackle water scarcity
Bureaucracy causing delay in amendment to Act: Venkatachala
`Evaluate contribution of maths to society'

Copyright © 2004, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu