UP Lokayukta seeks more powers

Lucknow, Sept 11: As the Lokayukta is going to celebrate it’s 40th Foundation Day on September 14, the anti-graft agency has demanded to the State government for more powers on controlling corruption in the state. “We have sent a proposal to the state government to make Lokayukta office more effective by giving it power just on the pattern provided in Madhya Pradesh, Karnatka etc”, disclosed R N Pandey, secretary at the Lokayukta office. While informing about the foundation celebration Mr Pandey said that they had planned to carry out an awareness drive among the masses at district ,Tehsil, block and panchayat levels. Mr Pandey said in their proposal, Lokayukta had recommended to bring State Universities, Deemed Universities, organizations registered under societies registration act, gram pradhan, government and non-government trusts, government aided private institutions, along with private engineering and medical colleges etc. under the ambit of the Lokayukta. The state ombudsman strongly recommended that he should be given power to start probe 'suo-motto' in case he received or get any information of corruption or irregularity at high places. Lokayukta now works as per a rule that any of their probe could not be started unless a complaint was received on a prescribed format supported by strong evidences to buttress charges of corruption against a government official. Sources said that under the above prevalent conditions, 90 per cent of the applicants who turned up with inputs of corruption before Lokayukta, failed to complete the formality which restrict the state ombudsman to initiate probe in the matter. Similar to Madhya Pradesh, UP Lokayukta also wants to get power to carry out search operation of his own and not after taking permission from the government. Likewise, in UP, at present if Lokayukta wanted to start investigation against any officer by the sleuths of the Vigilance Establishment, the nodal government agency to check corruption at high place and take legal action, he has to recommend the matter to the state government. However, in MP, Lokayukta could directly order an investigation by the vigilance department officials so the state ombudsman recommend to introduce this provision also in UP. In one another important recommendation, state ombudsman urged for ‘special courts’ like in MP to make a speedy trial of the accused officer. At present, majority of the corrupt officers who were held guilty in Lokayukta enquiry gets free due to the lengthy process of prosecution sanction as well as trial in courts. It may be mentioned that earlier also, former Lokayuktya, Justice (Retd) NK Mehrotra had made similar attempts during Samajwadi Party’s government regime but his efforts failed to bear fruits. UNI