Loka should be more strong: Justice Adi

BENGALURU:Citing several instances in about 40 government departments which he found during his five-year tenure as Upa Lokayukta , Justice Subhash B Adi on Saturday said that corruption and maladministration has not reduced in the state.Speaking at a farewell programme organised by the Lokayukta institution upon his retirement as Upa Lokayukta, Justice Adi said the Lokayukta institution could still be more effective and very strong.

“Though I worked for five years, I am not fully satisfied as I could not do much. When I look at the level of corruption and maladministration, it hurts me”, he said.Justice Adi said that he has visited many districts and has evidence to show how the level of corruption is increasing faster than development. If anybody asks me if corruption can be reduced, my answer is ‘no’, he said.

“The establishment of Lokayukta is not to please anyone but to punish the guilty. Hence, the staff of Lokayukta should be more strong, conscious and committed, although some incidents in the past dented the image of the institution. They should not be like state government servants. The police and technical wing need to play a greater role. Then, every other institution will grow”, Justice Adi said.  

He explained that the grants meant for downtrodden was misused in Mysuru. Temples were converted as community halls only to siphon off funds meant for construction of such halls. Similarly, grants were drawn against digging borewells but the borewells were not dug in two districts. In Shivamogga, the home district of Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa, forest land has been converted as revenue land illegally. “I have submitted a report on this to the government’, he said.  

“In some districts of south Karnataka, particularly in Kolar, Bengaluru Urban and Rural, Tumakuru, Ramanagar, Chikkaballapur districts, huge grants were siphoned off on the pretext of constructing houses to poor”, he said.Some of the major scams exposed by him includes Advertisement scam, KHB land scam in Mysuru, gold leafing scam in Mysuru palace, illegal allotment of civic amenity sites, encroachment of lakes and forest land, etc.