KENDRAPARA: Odisha Lokayukta chairman Justice Ajit Singh urged people to directly approach the Lokayukta with complaints of corruption against any public servant here on Sunday.
Addressing media persons on the sidelines of an awareness meeting, he said, “We are determined to take action against any public servant, including the Chief Minister and public representatives if complaints are received against them. We are encouraging common people to raise their voices against corrupt public servants and NGOs.”
Lokayukta has decided to launch awareness campaigns in every district to sensitise people on the Lokayukta Act as corruption is not only a punishable offence but also undermines human rights, indirectly violating them. Besides, systematic corruption leads to systematic economic crimes.
Justice Singh said last year the Lokayukta had received 1,418 cases of which 166 cases were disposed of. As many as 29 cases of erstwhile Lokpal involving corruption are pending for disposal and 1,223 involving personal grievances have been transferred to the Government under Section 60 (3) of the Odisha Lokayukta Act.
Similarly, 1,132 fresh complaints were received by the Lokayukta of which 548 complaints have been disposed of and the remaining 584 are pending for disposal.
“This year, we registered 272 cases of which 56 have been disposed of by now and only 216 cases are pending for disposal,” he informed. The Odisha Lokayukta Act came into force with effect from July 7, 2018, and the body of the Lokayukta was established with effect from February 28, 2019, to probe allegations of corruption against certain public functionaries. Justice Singh assumed the office as the first chairman of Odisha Lokayukta on March 20 last year.