MARGAO
Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai has charged the government for tabling amendments to the Goa Lokayukta Act to dilute the powers of the Lokayukta and render the institution a toothless tiger.
He further said the Goa Forward has also proposed a Private Member’s resolution to make the Goa Lokayukta institution strong and to make the recommendations a binding effect.
Addressing the media, Sardesai said the government has proposed a total of nine amendments to the Goa Lokayukta Act, with the avowed objective to clip the wings of the Ombudsman.
“If you compare the amendments moved by the government and the Private Bill proposed by the Goa Forward, it is clear that the Bill proposed by the regional party is in fact in accordance with the objective of the Act, whereas the Cabinet amendments are an attempt to silence the institution of Lokayukta and silence the people against those in power,” he asserted.
Sardesai said the Goa Lokayukta Act, 2011 has already been severely criticised from many quarters over the implementation of the recommendations, but the government has gone a step further to propose the amendments to render the institution a powerless one.
“We had proposed the Bill to ensure that the institution gets the teeth to curb corruption and to haul up the government with contempt for not accepting the recommendations. By arming the Lokayukta with powers, we want to ensure that the objective behind enacting the Lokayukta is implemented in both letter and spirit,” he added.
Recalling the statement made by the outgoing Goa Lokayukta, Justice Mishra that the institution lacks the teeth and is on the verge of death, Sardesai said the absence of penal provisions in the Act had rendered the institution powerless.
Calling for a public debate on the Goa Lokayukta in the light of the government’s decision to dilute the powers of the institution, Sardesai demanded to know the social activists and the RSS cadres who had launched the “India Against Corruption” campaign.
