Chikkamagaluru: Upa Lokayukta justice KN Phaneendra on Thursday directed officials to resolve the issues of people and suggested giving special importance to cases of pensioners, widows, and oppressed class. The justice was addressing the gathering during the meeting with district-level officials at zilla panchayat. Phaneendra listened to the grievances of Sharadamma, who was struggling to get her deceased husband’s benefits. Sharadamma’s husband was a govt employee and died decades ago. But his service records were missing, thus his benefits were pending.Despite several approaches to the authorities, Sharadamma failed to get a solution. Hearing the grievances, the Upa Lokayukta directed concerned officials to resolve the issues within three months. The Upa Lokayukta also took severe exception against the officials for the lapses, and said they must not give any excuses in such cases.Meanwhile, he attended a legal awareness programme on the Lokayukta Act, organised by the district legal services authority and district judiciary department, in collaboration with the district administration, education, sericulture, agriculture, and horticulture departments. Justice Phaneendra emphasised the importance of duty-bound service, and urged officials to view their roles as opportunities to serve the society and work to dispel any allegations that may arise from the community, thereby making life meaningful.He explained that the Lokayukta is empowered to appoint a panel of judges to provide fair hearings and make specific decisions in cases of natural, unnatural, and malicious errors, ensuring equal opportunities for both parties. The Lokayukta’s strength lies in the district judges’ legal team and the investigative work of the Lokayukta police under the prevention of corruption act.
