People’s trust in Lokayukta has increased due to proactive approach: Justice BS Patil

DHARWAD: Lokayukta’s mission is to address the issues of maladministration, inefficiency and complacency on the part of government machinery and the people are reposing their faith in the organisation. There is a wrong perception that Lokayukta is meant for trapping corrupt officials while taking bribe. In fact, Lokayukta caters to all sectors to ensure that the underprivileged are not deprived of their legitimate rights, said Karnataka Lokayukta Justice BS Patil.
In an exclusive interaction with TOI, he said the powers of the Lokayukta have been restored after the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) was quashed and the government has been responding to manpower and infrastructure requirements of the organisation.
“The government has deployed one DGP, one IGP, 27 SPs and five additional SPs, but there is shortage of DSPs and inspectors. As the number of people approaching Lokayukta seeking redressal of their grievances is increasing, the pressure on existing staff has also increased. The Lokayukta office in Bengaluru has a space crunch, and efforts are being made to get more rooms,” he said.
“In 2022-23, as many as 1,658 cases were registered under the Karnataka Lokayukta Act (KLA) as against 709 registered in the previous year. From April to November this year, 1,017 cases have been registered by Lokayukta,” Justice Patil elaborated.
He said the people’s trust in the organisation has increased due to its proactive approach. “We have decentralised the proactive and people-friendly approach and our officers at the taluk-level are doing a good job. For the first time, the Lokayukta conducted a vigilance awareness conference attended by heads of different departments, public prosecutors, investigating officers to discuss the ways and means for efficient functioning of all its wings. Training sessions were also held,” he said.
“To ensure that grievances of people at the village level are addressed, I have directed the officers to visit villages and taluk headquarters and see all the facilities are made available to people. Cleanliness and hygeine are other concerns and I have pulled up municipal authorities who were found lax in these matters,” Justice Patil said.