Dimapur, September 18 (MExN): The ACAUT Nagaland has requested the Chief Minister of Nagaland to appoint a Lokayukta in the State at the earliest.
“Having the office of the Lokayukta will go a long way to put a check on corruption, bring about transparency in the system and make administrative machinery citizen friendly and establish the rule of law,” stated the ACAUT Nagaland in a memorandum to the Chief Minister signed by ACAUT Chairman, Tia Longchar, Co-Chairman, Simon Kelio and Secretary, Hetoi Chishi.
The memorandum said to the Chief Minister of Nagaland, “We believe, as you have also stated in public, that transparency and accountability are needed in providing good governance to the people. We hope your government will not miss out on this opportunity to implement the Nagaland Lokayukta Act, 2017 at the earliest.”
It noted that during April 2018 the Government of Nagaland has filed before the Supreme Court an affidavit explaining that the process is on for the appointment of the Lokayukta in Nagaland.
However no such appointment of the Lokayukta has been made by the government.
The apex court on July 10 has now granted three more months to the States, including Nagaland, to appoint their respective Lokayukta (by October 10, 2018), it informed.
“Your government should not wait for the Supreme Court deadline but go ahead and appoint the Lokayukta at the earliest,” stated the members of the ACAUT Nagaland.
Consistent & persistent, ACAUT on Lokayukta
The Nagaland Lokayukta Act, 2017 was given assent by the Governor of Nagaland on December 21, 2017. Following this, on January 31, 2018, the Nagaland Gazette issued a notification publishing the Nagaland Lokayukta Act, 2017 for general information.
“However, as of today the Lokayukta Act remains only on paper,” noted the ACAUT Nagaland recalling its activism since 2014 that pushed the Act thus far.
The ACAUT has been “consistent and persistent for the passing and implementation of Lokayukta, which will root out the cancerous growth of corruption in our state and bring about some resemblance of progress and development in the state,” maintained the activists of ACAUT.
It also reminded the Chief Minister that his party, the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party “campaigned with the promise to change and reform.”
“In fact, the NDPP promised during the election campaign that it will ‘fight against corruption, centralization of power, and restore Rule of Law in the state.’ With the public commitment by both your party and the PDA government towards good governance and transparency, we put forward our request for immediate setting up of Lokayukta body for the state,” the ACAUT Nagaland stated in its memorandum to the CM.
