SHILLONG: Activists in Meghalaya have demanded that state government employees, irrespective of the designation, should declare their assets, sources of income and their dependents’ source of income under the Lokayukta Act.
The convener of the Mait Shaphrang Movement, Michael Syiem, demanded that the state government should issue notification to insist on all state government employees to do the same.
“All state government employees from the chief minister to the lowest rank of employees should declare their assets, their own sources of income and that of their dependents’ in line with the Lokpal Act,” he said.
Referring to political parties, Syiem said, “Every political party wants transparency and accountability, so now that the elections are near, let us see which party or individual will support or declare that if they win the elections they will implement the Lokayukta.”
Maintaining that it is a very strong act that is framed to be in line with the Lokpal Bill, Syiem said many politicians are scared of the Act as they will have to declare their assets, source of income and their dependents’ source of income and any undeclared assets will be seized under the Act.
Commenting on this, CSWO president Agnes Kharshiing quipped and said, “Not only politicians but also bureaucrats who are hiding assets need to be brought under the purview of the Act. It is the bureaucrats who have failed the state. The delay shows there is lacuna in the bureaucracy.”
According to Syiem, the Lokayukta Act has the power to investigate and
prosecute wrongdoers within a time period of six months and the latest will be two years.
“With the implementation of the Lokayukta Act, the Right to Information (RTI) Act becomes stronger as it has the power to not only investigate and prosecute but seize property too,” he said.
He also pointed out that till date the state government has not appointed members of Lokayukta, which includes a chairperson and four members.
“With the elections being held early next year, I doubt whether the government will appoint a Lokayukta,” he remarked.
It may be recalled that the Meghalaya Assembly passed the Meghalaya Lokayukta Bill, 2014, after the government brought an amendment to make the act more effective and robust to check instances of corruption.
