The Hindu : Place Lokayukta on par with CBI: Oppn.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Place Lokayukta on par with CBI: Oppn.

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE July 16. Exchanging acerbic and sarcastic comments with the Government, the Opposition and nominated members of the Legislative Council on Tuesday suggested various measures to reform the administration.

Participating in the discussion on the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR), "Mukhyamantri" Chandru (BJP) said the Government should empower the Lokayukta on a par with the CBI, instead of using the prestigious and effective office as a "scarecrow".

Considering the outcome of the action initiated by the Lokayukta, it was felt that the Lokayukta should be given additional powers to indict offenders, he said.

Touching upon various subjects, including the condition of the government primary school buildings and the quality of education imparted, he said providing infrastructure and imparting quality education to rural people was basically a question of equality.

On the issue of the attitude of IAS officials, Mr. Chandru asked why the Government was hesitating to initiate action against erring officials. The issue was raised in 1993 and a report had pointed out 35 cases but no action was taken against the officers named in the report. Besides, he wanted to know why IPS and IFS officials were deputed to other departments.

He alleged that although the Government was committed to ensuring that Kannada was used in administration, a section of IAS officials and ministers could not speak Kannada.

Disagreeing with the charge, the Minister of State for Primary and Secondary Education, B.K. Chandrashekar, the Minister of State for Kannada and Culture, Rani Satish, and a number of ruling party members argued that every minister in the S.M.Krishna Ministry knew Kannada. Differences in pronunciations were inevitable owing to various reasons, including geographical.

It was too much for Mr. Chandru to expect that others should also speak chaste Kannada. However, Mr. Chandru retorted that whether they were ministers or officials, they should know Kannada as it was the language of the State.

Basavaraj Bommai (JD-S) said the Government should disclose the genuine financial position and stop making false promises. It would not be wise on the part of the Government to thrive on "baseless dream projects and endless borrowing".

It should stop deceiving people in the name of new projects while several parts of the State lacked basic facilities such as power and drinking water.

The status of the Raichur Thermal Power Station, which "happened to be the most mismanaged power plant" in the State, reflected the power situation. He explained the consequences of regional imbalances.

At this juncture, P.Ramiah (nominated) intervened to point out that money allocated to the four development boards had not been spent and consequently people who came under their purview were not getting the benefits envisaged. The Government should give reasons for this, he said.

Speaking about the adverse effects of privatisation, globalisation, limitless borrowing, and the Government's "penchant for making decisions and withdrawing them", Mr. Bommai said the Government was suffering from "withdrawal syndrome".

He warned against borrowing money from international agencies. He also urged the Government "not to convert the Vidhana Soudha into a World Bank office".

Made Gowda (Congress), L.Hanumanthaiah, Jalaja Naik, and Venkata Shiva Reddy (nominated) spoke.

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Place Lokayukta on par with CBI: Oppn.