Bhubaneswar, April 9 (Odisha.in) Taking a cue from the success of social activist Anna Hazare’s campaign, an anti-corruption group on Saturday decided to ask the Orissa government to enact a strong anti graft law in the state.
Rabi Das, president of Orissa Jana Sammilani (OJS) said his organization has already decided to prepare a draft bill in line with the Jana lokpal bill Hazare has proposed to the central government.
“We have already formed a panel led by Justice Choudhury Pratap Keshari Mishra, a retired High Court judge, to prepare the draft” he told Odisha.in.
Orissa is the first state in the country to have enacted Orissa Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 1970.But, the establishment of the institution came twelve years after the enactment and the first Lokpal started functioning in 1983.
However Das said the existing act has loopholes which make the whole anti-corruption exercise fruitless.
Citing example he said the Orissa Lok Pal in the past had made critical observations on the land allotment related to Vedanta University in Puri district but the state government neither took any action nor the chief minister Naveen Patnaik placed the report before the assembly.
“Since the existing Lok Pal bill in the state does not serve the purpose, we want this to be scrapped and the government to introduce a new bill inline with the one Hazare has been suggesting”, he said.
Das who organized demonstrations and fast here during past four days to express solidarity to Hazare said if the state government does not bring a stronger anti graft bill in the assembly, his organization will launch an indefinite hunger strike.
“We have also formed a team to contact Hazare. We will request him to join us in this campaign” he said.
Odisha.in
