Lokayukta comes down heavily on MLAs
The State Government’s current ‘experiment’ shows that the administration can indeed be run without elected representatives. This sarcastic, yet biting remark came from none other than Lokayukta Justice N Santhosh Hegde, as he scoffed at the current political imbroglio in the State.
At a conference organised by the Glaucoma Society of India on Saturday, Justice Hegde observed: “When the people of north Karnataka are suffering post floods, our ‘elected representatives,’ instead of monitoring the relief work, are staying in five star hotels in Goa and Hyderabad, eating the so-called ‘simple food’.
“I heard they are eating only dal/chawal and Bijapur rotis at these hotels. The money spent during this political crisis could have ideally been used for flood relief work.”
He said the elected representatives should attend Cabinet meeting to ensure good governance.
“It costs Rs 23,000 to conduct a Parliament session. Elected representatives should attend Cabinet meetings without fail to ensure good governance. But all norms have been flouted here,” he said. He added that police officials from the Lokayukta had visited the flood-hit areas in north Karnataka to oversee the relief work.
“The relief work is going on, but some deficiencies have been noticed. For the time being, the Lokayukta’s job has been minimised due to the crisis,” he said.
