PANJIM: Not only is the State administration running without a full-fledged Chief Secretary (CS) since March, but three key posts meant to check corruption and ensure transparency in governance – Lokayukta, Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and State Information Commissioner (SIC) – are lying vacant for periods ranging from five months to three years.
The post of SIC felt vacant following the resignation of Dr Pradeep Padwal in September 2012, whereas the post of CIC is vacant since January 31, 2015, when Dr Leena Mahendale ended her term.
The much talked about the ombudsman body – Lokayukta – has been vacant since the sudden resignation of the State’s first Lokayukta, Justice (retd) Dr B Sudershan Reddy, in October 2013 after serving in the office for just seven months.
In the absence of these anti-corruption heads, a large number of appeals and complaints are pending with the offices. While there are currently, 450 appeals and 400 complaints pending before the CIC and SIC, the Lokayukta has nearly 17 major cases pending, which include the illegal mining scam, illegal recruitment in the Departments of Health and Agriculture amongst others.
Highly placed sources confirmed that the process of appointing a CIC and two SICs is on, with the posts likely to be filled before the coming Monsoon Session of Assembly scheduled to begin from July 27. A committee under Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar will be meeting on July 8 to shortlist the names of the candidates for the posts.
“The committee has received nearly 25 applications for the posts, including 22 applications for CIC,” sources said. The Department of Information had invited applications of these two posts for the fifth time, after the SIC post was caught in a legal battle.
The government in December 2013 had short listed journalist Sandesh Prabhudesai and quasi-judicial functionary of the Union Defence Ministry Stanley Coutinho, for the post of SICs. However, the names were subsequently scrapped after social activists had challenged the appointment of Prabhudesai on legal grounds.
On the Lokayukta front, the government has approached the Chief Justice of India to appoint a Lokayukta for the State, after it has been unable to select a suitable candidate for the past 20 months. “Government has written to the Chief Justice of India. The decision was taken following recommendation from the Advocate General,” sources said.
Following the abrupt transfer of former chief secretary Kewal Kumar Sharma to New Delhi in March, this year, the State’s administration is run by a part-time CS – Principal Secretary R K Srivastava – who is already reeling under the burden of key departments including Finance, Home, Forests and Environment, Revenue, Mining and Tourism besides five other heads.
In April, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, which is the cadre controlling authority, had sent a list of three senior IAS officials – Anand Prakash an officer of 1979 batch of IAS, Sanjay Kumar Shrivastava (IAS 1980) and Nutan Guha Biswas (IAS 1983). The State had turned down all three names requesting a larger pool to select from.
“Post this, there is no communication or development on the issue,” sources said, adding that the government is keen to have a full-fledged CS for the State as early as possible.
