MARGAO
Congress MLA Reginaldo Lourenco has said if the government is adamant in going ahead with the amendments to the Goa Lokayukta Act, it will be better for it to do away with the investigative body for good as it will save the precious public money of maintaining the office as well as paying salaries to officers and staff.
In a letter to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, the Congress MLA said it is correct to assert that the proposed amendments to Lokayukta Act are diametrically opposite to the Chief Minister’s 2019 Independence Day speech in which he promised corruption-free governance to the people of Goa.
The three-time Congress MLA appealed to the Chief Minister not to introduce the Goa Lokayukta Act amendments as these will completely cripple and maim the anti-corruption ombudsman organisation in the State.
“Like other countless Goemkars, I am aghast that our State government is proposing to make Goa Lokayukta powerless and toothless by amending the Goa Lokayukta Act in the upcoming 13th session of the 7th Legislative Assembly of Goa,” Reginaldo said, adding “it is really disturbing to see that the government headed by your good self has cleared the proposal of amendment by deleting, substituting and additions to so many sections including 2, 13, 16 of Goa Lokayukta Act”.
“In Section 13( i) amendment, the Lokayukta and Upa Lokayukta have been made submissive to the personnel working under the Chief Minister or ministers especially for conducting detailed investigation after preliminary inquiry has been done.
“Provided that if a prior sanction of any authority is required under any law for the time being in force for such investigation, then such prior sanction shall be obtained from such authority before initiation of such investigation,” he said.
