Apparently Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant’s government has a lot of things to hide or do not want the people to know about many things and that is why it has till date not appointed a Lokayukta or Information Commissioner said Aam Aadmi Party.
It may be recalled that the previous Lokayukta Justice (retired) Prafulla Kumar Misra who left Goa in October 2020 as a completely dejected man had recommended that the institution of Lokayukta be abolished as it was amounting to a colossal waste of public funds.
AAP Goa Convener Rahul Mhambre pointed out that the Dr Pramod Sawant government had not taken any action even on one of the 21 reports the Lokayukta had filed prompting the Lokayukta himself to wonder why such an institution should function if even its reports are not taken cognizance of.
Lokayukta is an Ombudsman institution giving people a platform to complain against corruption so as to public confidence in the efficiency and integrity of public services. The last Lokayukta in Goa had received 191 cases of which 133 were disposed and of the pending 58 cases reports were sent in 21 cases which the government totally ignored.
Mhambre pointed out that Justice Mishra had said that current BJP minister Michael Lobo was unfit to hold office as minister. Mhambre also criticised Lobo for his utter disrespected towards the lokayukta when Lobo had asked who the lokayukta was to declare him unfit.
Similarly Rahul pointed out that the office of the Chief Commissioner of Information has not been functioning since December after Pratima Vernekar demitted her office as the other commissioner Juino de Souza had retired in July.
“It appears that the government has many ugly things to hide that is why it is not appointing any new information commissioner even though people have applied for that position,” said Mhambre further adding that citizens are also denied the right of complaining to the Lokayukta as no such person has been appointed.
“This current corrupt dispensation has gauged the severe anti-incumbency sentiment of Goans against the BJP and are certain that they would be booted out of power in the 2022 elections. Hence, their agenda currently is to make hay while the sun shines while vitiating important governtment instruments against corruption.” Said Mhambre
“We challenged the Chief Minister to appoint reliable and valid persons to these institutions immediately if it has nothing to hide otherwise it will be presumed that the present government is not only corrupt but also determined to hide its misdeeds from the people,” he said.
