Appointment of Ombudsman for Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and Panchayats has, in fact, turned out to be hoping against hope despite two separate Acts having been passed by the then state legislatures in the year 2010 and 2014 respectively. Intriguing as it looks that the Government should be so casual about taking a decision in this respect even though belatedly, has a lot of bearing on how could cases of corruption, misuse and wastage of public money with these institutions be investigated and proceeded further. The Government taking no action in the matter despite the Union Home Ministry allowing certain relaxations in respect of the criteria for the said appointment looks quite strange.
On atleast three occasions in the recent past, we have highlighted the importance of such an appointment but even the ULBs and Panchayats adequately funded to stretch to develop and spend on public utilities and interests needed an authority to oversee critical and sensitive activities which related to maladministration and other irregularities, complaints and charges of favouritism and even embezzlements in a scenario when huge funding from the Central Government to these institutions were made available and kept at their disposal. When both the above mentioned legislations remained undisturbed by the J&K Reorganisation Act, why so much of casual approach in appointment of the Ombudsman ?
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