AUDACIOUS & UNSHAKEN
The size of the list indicates that 90% of the elected representatives at the panchayat, Zilla panchayat and municipal council and corporation level have not filed their statement of assets and and seem unperturbed that their names will be publicly published
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ON THE RIGHT TRACK: Certain village panchayats have succeeded in getting their act together and have ensured that all their panch members have filed their statements of assets and liabilities before the Lokayukta
THESE INCLUDE: Nagargao in Sattari, Torxem in Pernem, Velsao, Pale, Issorsim in Mormugao, Betqui-Candola, Veling-Priol-Cuncoliem, Volvoi in Ponda
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PANAJI: After several efforts to get the “public functionaries” to submit a statement of their assets and liabilities the Goa Lokayukta has published the entire list of 1374 functionaries mainly village panchas and municipal councillors who have not submitted their statements in violation of the Goa Lokayukta Act.
All public functionaries were required to file their statements of assets and liabilities for the financial year ending March 31, 2016, before June 30th in the prescribed format.
However, despite the public notice, some of the public functionaries have not filed their statements within the stipulated time. Consequent on the failure to submit their statements, a report was sent on January 10, this year to the Office of the Governor and a copy of the report was sent to the concerned public functionaries through the secretary of the respective village panchayats, chief officers of the municipal councils, CCP and the executive officers of the zilla panchayats.
On receipt of the report, the public functionaries were required to submit their statements of assets and liabilities within two months from the date of the receipt of such a report.
However, since the public functionaries have failed to submit their statement of assets and liabilities the Lokayukta has released the whole list of public functionaries.
The size of the list indicates that 90% of the elected representatives at the panchayat, Zilla panchayat and municipal council and corporation level have not filed their statement of assets and liabilities before the Lokayukta and seem unperturbed that their names will be publicly published as not having filed their statements of assets and liabilities.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar when defending the draft of the Lokayukta Act in the Goa Legislative Assembly had said that the threat of the publication of the names by the Lokayukta would be enough to put the public functionaries in line and in the case of an adverse recommendation in a corruption case, the public functionary would even be driven to resign and that the Act did not need a provision to mandate the dismissal of a public functionary in the wake of an adverse recommendation.
A large number of public functionaries who have violated the Lokayukta Act is an indication that the Lokayukta Act does not inspire fear anymore.
