Seven months after it was constituted by the Tamil Nadu government following a deadline set by the Supreme Court, the Lokayukta is yet to get a permanent office and is operating out of a guest house in Chennai.
Rooms in the Old Block of the State Guest House at Chepauk on Walajah Road have been allotted to the Chairman and members of the anti-graft body, which has been operating out of the guest house for the past two months.
Officials said though the Lokayukta was to be allotted space on the SIDCO campus in Guindy, procedures were taking time, and the ombudsman organisation was likely to move to the Guindy address by the end of January next year. However, the Lokayukta had begun functioning and had been receiving complaints since May. Currently, the anti-graft body has a Chairman and four members.
‘Skeleton-staff’
Though the Lokayukta was sanctioned a working strength of 103, with posts ranging from secretary to watchman, only a ‘skeleton-staff’ was in place. A visit to the office on Monday revealed that the current location was cramped and had no space for visitors. In the absence of stenographers, files were being prepared manually.
Last year, the Tamil Nadu government belatedly took steps in the Assembly to constitute the Lokayukta. It had notified the Lokayukta Rules in November 2018.
