KOHIMA, JANUARY 24 (MExN): The Nagaland Voluntary Consumers’ Organisation(NVCO) has demanded the state government set up a competent ‘investigating agency’ to assess intending candidate’s properties of disproportionate assets especially for those who had accumulated wealth while in service as a bureaucrats/public servants before being appointed as Upa-Lokayukta.
A press release from the NVCO media cell expressed suspicion that the state government, particularly the politicians/cabinet ministers, are only supporting and recommending “corrupted retired bureaucrats/public servants who had accumulated so much of wealth while in service to be appointed as Upa-Lokayukata.”
The NVCO urged the two-member search committee to find a competent person to be appointed as Upa-Lokayukta “where he or she was not having record of corrupt practices and no pending cases against them with scam and importantly not having political party affiliation.”
It reminded that consequent to the vacancy of Lokayukta arising on February 5, 2021 upon the incumbent resigning from the post, the former Governor of Nagaland sent three reminders for filling up the vacancy, of which the state government “terribly failed to be acted upon.” It said that the former Governor had even returned the Nagaland Lokayukta (Amendment No.2) Bill, 2021 to Nagaland Legislative Assembly Speaker for reconsideration stressing that it would not be in the interest of transparent governance to amend the section and extend the period by one year.
“However, to cut the story short the said section of Amendment Bill was passed with the present Governor’s assent and again the biggest dream of the state government particularly the opposition less government’s was fulfilled,” it claimed.
