BENGALURU: Hailing from a village in Vijayapura district, 66-year-old Justice BS Patil, former judge of the Karnataka High Court, has been appointed Karnataka Lokayukta. He is the first person to be appointed as head of the anti-corruption watchdog while serving as Upa Lokayukta. By simple living with high thinking, he plans to leave his footprint by drawing from his rich experience as lawyer for more than two decades, high court judge for over a decade, and Upa Lokayukta for more than two years. While sharing his strategies with TNSE, he appealed to the public to come up with mass-level issues in Karnataka and Bengaluru, in particular. Excerpts:
Can you share your plans and strategies as Lokayukta?
We are preparing ourselves to efficiently deal with matters before us, because single-handedly one person (Lokayukta) can’t do it. The entire institution must lift its performance. We, as a watchdog against maladministration, inefficiency, nepotism and corruption in the public system, will give priority to overcome constraints and deficiencies. My first endeavour would be to lift our potential and motivate our officials. Through individual/group meetings, we are assessing the work of judicial, administrative, technical wings to know their demands and our needs to achieve ‘institutional excellence’ collectively.
Are you adopting any changes to give a new dimension to the institution?
We have prepared a road map to reach out to all districts with a special focus on Bengaluru. I have told our staff to use different routes to the office from home so that they can bring public issues to me. Whatever the source, suo motu proceedings will be taken up. Video-conferencing will be used to frequently interact with district administrations and to review works by our officials in each district. Preference will be given to eradicate open defecation in some districts of North Karnataka. It has been found that funds for construction of toilets is siphoned off, no construction has taken place for want of space and there is no water for constructed toilets. We should feel ashamed for allowing womenfolk to such an undignified process. Serious action will be taken against erring officials. I propose to pick up Revenue/Municipal/Panchayat Raj offices randomly and go into the root of the matter to fix responsibilities and take action. This will give a loud and clear message to the others.
As you are giving special focus to Bengaluru, what sort of problems have you identified, and solutions for them?
For the overall development of Bengaluru, zero-tolerance will be shown to irregularities and lapses on the part of the authorities, starting from illegal constructions, dumping of garbage, maintaining hygiene, stagnation of water in underpasses, overflowing of sewage, plight of patients in hospitals, pollution etc. There are so many complaints on illegal constructions. When checked, BBMP engineers issued notices to violators after they received notices from our office and they were allowed to construct further even after illegalities came to their notice without taking steps for preventing such constructions or demolishing them. Henceforth, there will be no scope for such drama which amounts to misconduct.
What is your stand on continuing the Anti-Corruption Bureau while disbanding powers under the Prevention of Corruption Act from Lokayukta?
I do not comment on the issue under challenge before the High Court. But there is enormous power under the Karnataka Lokayukta Act to deal with maladministration. We will be happy if powers under the PC Act are restored to us.
What are your views on the order issued by the Home Department to DG&IGP to surrender all SPs and DySPs posts in Lokayukta?
They have not written to us. I don’t think there is such a move. They can’t take unilateral decisions. When officials ask, we can make our stand clear as we bank on our police force. The government itself has entrusted around 50,000 cases on irregularities in implementing MNREGA. All SPs, DySPs and inspectors have been asked to carry out the work in each district. Our officers have been told to draw up proceedings against officials who are not cooperating with the probe by not providing documents.
What will be the outcome of a 26-point circular issued by Registrar to Lokayukta police wings across the state?
Main motto is to bring considerable changes. The circular has been shared with the Chief Secretary and district administrations. Responsibility has been fixed for officers, including SIT probing illegal mining. Each one will be held responsible for delays in probe, hearing, etc. Even witnesses, who are government officials, will have to face perjury cases if they turn hostile.