Though the Government offices have resumed functioning to its full capacity, the very vital State Information Commission after remaining closed in May has now decided to resume hearing matters only in July.
The Chief Information Commissioner and the State Information Commissioner carry a very handsome monthly salary of Rs 2, 25,000 besides other perks. So is it not an unnecessary financial burden on the taxpayers to keep the Information Commission virtually dysfunctional citing pandemic as the reason.
The pandemic is here to stay at least for a while and we have to learn to live with it while all government authorities need to function with all the required precautionary and safety measures in place.
The new Goa Lokayukta has assumed office but has become a white elephant having been rendered toothless and powerless after the amendments brought to the Lokayukta Act in January this year
After Justice P.K.Misra retired on September 17th last year the post had been vacant, so the relevant file notings if made public would reveal whether the government acted diligently to find a new Lokayukta and also as to how suddenly the name of Aurangabad based Justice Ambadas Joshi surfaced for consideration. Was it on account of his close links with the RSS?
The file notings if placed in public domain would also indicate the reasons why the government made the various amendments to the Lokayukta Act rendering the post a mere farcical one.
The Vigilance department which is the nodal office for the Institution of Lokayukta cannot keep all these crucial documents under a cloak of secrecy as it would amount to mischievously scuttling the very intent of the RTI Act which was enacted for Transparency and Accountability in Governance.
The all important Institution of Lokayukta and the State Information Commission are bodies constituted by law with specific and a clear mandate. A lot of public money is spent in running these authorities constituted to deliver justice to the citizens and bring to book the wrong doers. So they have to function in letter and spirit fulfilling the objective for which they are constituted.
Adv. Aires Rodrigues
C/G-2, Shopping Complex
Ribandar Retreat
Ribandar – Goa – 403006
Mobile No: 9822684372
Office Tel No: (0832) 2444012
Email: airesrodrigues1@gmail.com
You can also reach me on
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