The post of Charity Commissioner of Maharashtra state has been lying vacant for the past 187 days, a recent Right to Information (RTI) query has revealed. The position has been vacant since December 5 2018, after previous Charity Commissioner Shivkumar Dighe was transferred, revealed the office of Charity Commissioner in an application filed by RTI activist Anil Galgali. The position comes with the responsibility of keeping an eye on the activities of various public trusts and charitable trusts present within the state and ensure the smooth functioning of the department. "The role of the commissioner is very important as he is the one who would take action if anyone fails to conduct their duties and is also responsible for conducting hearings in the matter. Suppose, if a charity hospital fails to treat a poor person according to the norms set by the government, the commissioner would step in," said Galgali. He also claimed that due to the absence of a head the general public is getting inconvenienced as the employees are not accountable. "There is no one to complain to if the lower level employees do work in a negligent fashion. This leads to further delay tactics," added Galgali. The responsibility of appointing the Commissioner falls under the Law and Justice department of the state government. "Prior to transferring out Shivkumar Dighe from the post of Charity Commissioner, it should have been filled. However, the lackadaisical attitude of the Law and Justice department has seen 187 days go by without a Charity Commissioner being appointed. I have even written a letter to the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, urging him to fill the post urgently," he said. The previous Commissioner was appointed by the state government on August 18, 2018, and was known to take action against trusts and societies that failed to audit their accounts and ensured they followed strict compliance to guidelines. His tenure witnessed action being taken against over a lakh of trusts or societies, with some of them resulting in cancelling of their registrations. Candidate Search

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