President posts in as many as six District Consumer Grievance Redessal Forums are now lying vacant in the State.
The forums of Baleswar, Cuttack, Deogarh, Malkangiri, Jagatsinghpur and Jajapur have no presidents now.
Similarly, Member posts are lying vacant in three such forums at Koraput, Nabarangpur and Mayurbhanj and Member(W) posts vacant in 10 forums in Boudh, Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Malkangiri, Nayagarh, Puri and Rayagada districts.
This was revealed by the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department in response to an RTI application sought by Rights activist Pradip Pradhan.
“District Consumer Grievance Redessal Forums have turned dysfunctional due to vacancies,” lamented Pradhan.
He too expressed unhappiness that the office of the lokpal and office of Police Complaint Authority have been locked. No lokayukta has been appointed under the Odisha lokayukta Act. The post of State Chief Information Commissioner and Chairman of Odisha Human Rights Commission are too lying vacant, he said.