Just after he came back to power on a huge mandate, ChiefMinister Manohar Parrikar, said that he would hand over the Public AccountsCommittee report on illegal mining to the Lokayukta within 100 days. "Allthe findings in the PAC report are based on documents. The state government canhand over the document to Lokayukta for investigation," Parrikar, whoheaded the PAC, said.
Even as the process for appointing the Lokayukta reaches itsfinal stages, Parrikar may well decide to hand over the findings of the ShahCommission report as well as his PAC for a comprehensive investigation intoillegal mining. A Lokayuktainvestigation is welcome and will have far reaching credibility. Above all itwill be quicker than a CBI investigation which will be prolonged. Also, giventhe CBI’s track record in many investigations, especially where congressbigwigs are involved, expectations form the CBI are low.
The cabinet approved rules for the Goa Lokayukta Act, whichwas notified on May 18, 2012. The rules pertain to details on the Lokayukta'sfunctioning and that these will be notified immediately. The Act has 11definitions for public functionaries which include the chief minister, cabinetministers and MLAs. It also has in its ambit presidents, vice-presidents,secretaries and managing directors of government corporations and othergovernment bodies.
Apart from the illegal mining, other cases that couldimmediately land up in the new Lokayukta’s table include the fraud in theallotment of SEZ plots, exposed by The Goan in its very first issue. Pressuremust also be generated by civil society for the large scale illegalities in thePWD to be handed over to the Lokayukta. Again, The Goan’s continuedinvestigations, including the Big Story package, in this edition reveals howthe state exchequer was dipped into to sanction multiple road contracts, athugely inflated costs. It’s clear that several public functionaries includingthe then PWD minister Churchill Alemao will come under the direct line of fire.
Goa’s Lokayukta will be formed after a lot of struggle. Itcomes with a lot of hope. It should not be used an exercise for political witchhunting but for the first time truly clean up the system. Goa’s influential willfinally have to account for corruption.
