Venkatachala willing to continue in office if given more powers

Bangalore, July 1 (UNI) Karnataka Lokayukta N Venkatachala today said he would agree to continue in office for a second term only if the state government agreed to bring in amendments to the existing Lokayukta Act to give more teeth to the body.

Justice Venkatachala, who relinquished office today, told reporters here that the present Act was defective as it did not cover top officials in its purview. ''I will take up a second tenure in office, if offered, only if the government agrees to change the existing laws to bring top bureaucrats in its net.'' He said he had so far not received any communication from the government asking him to continue in the post. However, he was getting hundreds of phone calls every day asking him to continue in the post.

Asked about the charge levelled against former Chief Minister N Dharam Singh that he had distributed BDA sites among his relatives and friends, he said he had received a complaint in this regard, but could not probe into it. He would urge his successor to inquire into the issue, he added.

UNI SIV RG GM1700