PCC president Niranjan Patnaik demanded that the Odisha Government must notify the exact time period regarding appointment of lokayukta in the State.
Patnaik reminded that demanding appointment of a competent lokpal and lokayukta in Centre and State level respectively, social activist Anna Hazare had started an indefinite hunger strike in the Ramlila Maidan. Patnaik pointed out that Odisha had been the first to announce a State Act after the UPA II’s lokpal and lokayuktas Act, 2013. But it never appointed a lokayukta. The Odisha lokayukta Bill 2014 was passed in the Assembly in February 2014 and received the President's nod on January 28, 2015. However, it was not notified.
It assumes that the old Odisha lokpal and lokayukta Act, 1995 thus stands and has not been repealed. So first of all whether the old Act is in place or the new one is going to be notified must be clarified by the State Government, said Patnaik.
Now the deadline of July 10 given by the apex court is going to expire in a week. The Odisha Government should clarify whether it has started process of appointing lokayukta and if so, should announce the time frame to complete the process, demanded Patnaik.