The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Minister asked to give details of report on purchases by official

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 26, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Minister asked to give details of report on purchases by official

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: Three BJP members and a Congress member in the Legislative Council on Monday urged the Social Welfare Minister, Y. Nagappa, to disclose the details of the recommendations made by the Karnataka Lokayukta about his investigation into the irregularities in the purchase of carpets, bed sheets and generators by the Social Welfare Commissioner. The members cautioned the Minister against protecting the official.

Raising the issue during question hour, Vimala Gowda (BJP) expressed unhappiness that Dr. Nagappa had given contradictory replies to her question. The Minister, she said, has mentioned that the Lokayukta had given three months' time to inform him about the action taken on his report. But in the next sentence, the Minister has added that no irregularities had taken place in the Department of Scheduled Tribe Welfare.

She said the official, being a nodal officer, should have allowed the zilla panchayats to make the purchases. Instead, he himself had made them causing a loss of Rs. 3.19 crores to the Government. The Minister stood by his reply and said that he came to know about the details of the report only through newspapers. He said that he has not read the report as he is yet to open the envelope containing the report. He would open it after the session and take action. Ms. Vimala Gowda accused him of being irresponsible. Her party colleagues, Shashil G. Namoshi and Arvind Limbavali, supported her.

V.S. Ugrappa (Congress), who lauded the Minister for conceding that the Lokayukta has given his report, regretted that the Dr. Nagappa had not disclosed the details of the report. Noting that the discussion had dragged on, the Chairman, V.R. Sudarshan, asked the members to send a notice for a detailed discussion on the issue.

On a question relating to the release of funds for payment of scholarships to backward class students for years, B.R. Gurudev, Srikanthe Gowda, Vithal Herur, Mr. Arvind Limbavali, M.P. Nadagouda and Mr. Ugrappa urged the Minister to take immediate steps to release Rs. 56 crores to the hostels which were pending for long. Dr. Nagappa promised that he would speak to the Deputy Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, in this connection.

The Industries Minister, P.G.R. Sindhia, told Mr. Nadagouda (Janata Dal-U) that several industries would be established in Raichur, Koppal and Bellary districts in the coming few years and an investment of over Rs. 10,000 crores would be made on them.

The Minister disagreed with Dr. Nadagouda, who raised the issue on behalf of Basavaraj Bommai, that the Jindal Vijayanagar Steel Plant is causing pollution in Sandur taluk of Bellary district. However, Mr. Sindhia said that he had instructed the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board to take precautionary measures to reduce the pollution level.

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