Lokayukta lies comatose now

With a majority of its staff demoralized and a single Upa Lokayukta with limited powers heading it, the three-decade-old anti-corruption agency has been pushed into a coma.
“There are no takers for cases filed before the Lokayukta as Upa Lokayukta Justice Subhash B Adi lacks powers to issue notices to government employees accused of corruption,“ said Sai Dutta, an RTI activist.More interestingly , an official in the Lokayukta said he no longer introduces himself as someone who works in the Lokayukta.“I don't know what opinion they will form of me after all these allegations of extortion in the Lokayukta and subsequent probe that resulted in chargesheets against the Lokayukta's son,'' he added.
A Lokayukta source said there were around 450 cases registered with the Lokayukta and no notice has been issued in any of these cases since May. “Only numbering of these cases has taken place and the Upa Lokayukta does not have any jurisdiction to send notices in cases relating to Grade I officials who draw a salary of over Rs 40,000 per month,“ said Shiva Kumar, a functionary of J ay a p a r a k a s h Narayan Vichara Vedike, Kengeri who could not file any complaint after Lokayukta Justice Bhaskar Rao went on leave in July this year.
Lokayukta officials feel the institution will be reduced to a police station that does not have any power. “There are over 160 cases reported to the Lokayukta till November 1. Though the Upa Lokayukta had shot off notices to civic agencies BDA and BBMP on potholes seeking a reply on October 9, only the BDA in its response said it's spending Rs 60.44 crore on roads and other infrastructure development in the city. BBMP did not even care to reply,“ Kumar said, adding that the institution has been ignored by public servants who actually wanted it to be permanently closed down.
Against the background of speaker Kagodu Thimmappa admitting petitions seeking the removal of the Lokayukta and Upa Lokayukta, advocate and notary NP Amrutesh said: “There seems to be a concerted effort on the state government's part to draw the curtains on the institution and we don't want that to happen in public interest. We're mobilizing public opinion against such a move and we'll fight it tooth and nail.''