Have written to govt to fill vacant posts, says Karnataka Lokayukta Justice B S Patil

Mangaluru: Karnataka Lokayukta Justice B S Patil said necessary steps have been taken to address the matter of vacancies in Lokayukta.

“We have written to the government to fill vacant posts,” he told media persons after conducting a review meeting with officials of Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat on Saturday. Justice Patil said there were 600 to 700 vacancies in Karnataka Lokayukta. But vacancies have not come in the way of conducting investigations, spot inspections and other works related to redressal of grievances, he clarified.

“It is true that 16,000 cases are pending for disposal in Lokayukta. The police, administrative, judicial and technical wing in Lokayukta have been entrusted with the task to dispose of pending cases,” he added. When the government appoints staff to Lokayukta, we will ensure that those involved in cases are not appointed. Antecedent of the staff will be looked into before recruiting them to Lokayukta, he said.

Due to awareness in society, more complaints are being registered with Lokayukta. An average of 8,000 cases are being registered annually, Justice Patil said. To a query on the inordinate delay in disposal of files related to single site approval from Mangalore Urban Development Authority (MUDA), Lokayukta Chief said he had received a complaint in this regard and an inquiry will be conducted into it.

On improving the conviction rate in criminal cases, Lokayukta chief said; “I have been holding periodical discussions with prosecution wing and investigation officers. Training is imparted to both the prosecution wing and investigation officers to ensure that there are no loopholes in the investigation and that witnesses do not turn hostile. All steps will be taken to ensure that the guilty are punished."

Lokayukta said that he has collected information from the MCC Commissioner on steps taken to ensure cleanliness in city.

Act against violations

Earlier in the day, Lokayukta chief directed officials to take action against those who had built buildings by violating rules in urban areas. Lokayukta received many complaints of violations by commercial complexes and residential buildings from the public. Action should be taken against such violations while the building is in the foundation stage. He said waste should be managed scientifically by ULBs and gram panchayats.