Mangalore, November 4: Justice Santosh N Hegde, the former Lokayukta, has brushed aside rumours of any differences with Anna Hazare and his core team, and insisted he was not able to attend the meetings due to time factor.
Reacting to a question, Justice Hegde, clarified that he was very much part of the Anna team. Mr. Hegde had failed to attend the meeting of the core committee of the India Against Corruption, amidst a wave of allegations against his colleagues Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal.
“I am very much part of the team. The only factor that is keeping me away from the routine meetings is time management,” he insisted.
Meanwhile, curtains came down on the Vigilance Awareness Week 2011 here in Mangalore, on Friday with the valedictory function organized by Department of Central Excise and Service tax Commissionerates at the Corporation Bank auditorium on Friday.
Delivering the valedictory speech Justice Hegde, said: “The three pillars of the statute - legislature, executive and judiciary - along with the unofficial fourth pillar media have been infested with the virus called 'greed over need'.
Pointing out the money allotted for the rural development projects by the government, he said, according to the CAG report crores of rupees released to the local self-government bodies do not reach the poor people and the rural India had been grossly left out.
He expressed regret that the local self-governance, an essential apparatus better administration and governance, had had not reached the grassroots level.
Corruption can be brought down in the country if the political interference in the civil services, especially in the in the matter of transfers, was controlled.
Chastising the citizenry for failing the nation, he said according to constitution citizens are supreme. “But people have forgotten that they are the chief executive officers.” He urged the people to 'boycott the corrupt' but quickly added that “it was a tough ask”.
“No one is interested in fighting corruption. In 2008 the Union Government passed 17 bills within minutes whereas it took 44 years to pass the Lokpal Bill for the parliament” he said.
He also exhorted the public servants to be the change that they want to see in the world.
The winners of the competitions conducted in connection with the Vigilance Awareness Week were felicitated at the ceremony. M V S Choudary, Commissioner of Customs, Central Excise and Service Tax, delivered introductory speech. The meeting was presided over by K C Gupta, Commissioner (Appeals).
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