Bhubaneswar: Even though the government has constituted the Lokayukta of Odisha, some RTI activists have alleged that the anti-corruption ombudsman is grossly understaffed and has failed to complete preliminary enquiry in any of the complaint petitions lodged with it so far.
It was revealed through a Right to Information (RTI) application filed by Santosh Mohanty with the Lokayukta that only 28 officers and staff have been appointed against the sanctioned posts of 137. Out of the 109 vacant posts, 10 are of private secretaries, 16 of assistant section officers, 12 of data entry operators and about 50 of junior level staff, said the RTI reply.
Odisha Lokayukta is an Independent anti-corruption body that started functioning in Odisha with effect from February 28, 2019. It has been constituted under the Odisha Lokayukta Act to enquire into allegations of corruption against public servants in the state.
Furthermore, as per section 14 of the Lokayukta Act, 2014, Lokayukta is required to receive complaints and complete preliminary inquiry within 90 days. However, according to the information provided by the Public Information Officer (PIO) in the RTI says that out of 128 cases received till July 24, there is not even a single case whose preliminary enquiry has been completed.
It needs to be mentioned here that Justice Ajit Singh of Assam was appointed as Chairman of Lokayukta who took charge March 20, 2019. While the office of Odisha Lokayukta started functioning April 8, 2019, Justice Bijay Nayak, RP Sharma and Debabrata Swain were appointed as members of the quasi-judicial body.
Meanwhile, according to recent developments, the Lokayukta has received 216 complaints against public servants till August 19. While most of the complaints
were petty,
Singh mentioned that at present, a total of 108 complaints are pending before the Board of Lokayukta for disposal.
“We hope complaints of corruption against high-profile people will be received in future. Lokayukta has been formed to eliminate corruption and make Odisha corruption-free,” Singh had mentioned earlier.
Prasanjeet Mohanty, OP