Mid-Day: Mumbai: Tuesday, August
30, 2016.
Maharashtra
Lokayukta received over 14,000 complaints in the last 30 months and closed
1,863 of them without taking any action, according to an RTI query.
In response
to a query by city-based RTI activist Jitendra Ghadge, the office of the
Lokayukta said it received 5,860, 5,200 and 3,028 complaints in the year 2014,
2015 and 2016 (up to July ) respectively, but it closed 914, 831 and 118
complaints in the corresponding years without any action as these did not hold
any merit.
However, 319
reports in 2014 and 22 in 2016 were submitted by the Lokayukta to competent
authorities recommending action, but action the taken report sent by the
respective departments to these stood at 192 in 2014, 44 in 2015 (the carry
forward from 2014) and only 1 in 2016, the reply said.
It also said
there were at least 795 cases in which the Lokayukta was not satisfied with the
action taken by the competent authorities. Ghadge has alleged that the
corruption watchdog has been reduced to a "recommendatory body" and
virtually rendered "toothless" because of lack of powers.
"But
since it has not been vested with any powers except for sending reports, it has
virtually turned into an ineffective institution and has become
toothless," Ghadge said.
The
performance of the Lokayukta clearly shows that they have been stripped off
their powers and only indulge in written correspondence with the government,
the RTI activist alleged.
"As of
now, the Lokayukta has no powers except for sending reports. The historic
Lokpal agitation had absolutely no effect except for formation of a new
political party.
People have
forgotten and so has the Maharashtra government," he claimed and alleged
that both the Congress and the BJP governments have absolutely no intention of
implementing the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act 2013.