Southern States - Karnataka   

CMC scam: officials to be suspended

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE JULY 16. The officers who served as commissioners and engineers of the seven city municipal councils around Bangalore and the treasury officers concerned at the time of scam relating to overdrawal of additional surcharge on stamp duty between 1998 and 2001 would be suspended, the Chief Minister, S.M.Krishna, told the Assembly on Tuesday.

The step was being taken to strengthen the hands of the Lok Ayukta inquiring into the scam, so that the guilty were punished, Mr. Krishna said while replying to a discussion raised by the Opposition on the Rs.240-crore scam.

Mr. Krishna turned down a demand made by the Leader of the Opposition, Jagadish Shettar, for superseding the municipalities pointing out that these bodies, elected only last year, could not be penalised for the irregularities committed by their predecessor officials.

Promising the House that the Government did not want to hush up the scandal, Mr. Krishna said that as soon as the new Government assumed office in October 1999, it stopped flow of excess fund to these municipalities and suspended the commissioners of Bommanahalli and Byatarayanapura municipalities.

A Corps of Detective inquiry had been ordered and the Accountant-General asked to audit the accounts. The Lok Ayukta had been asked to look into possible irregularities in Yelahanka and Kengeri. It was now for the Lok Ayukta to suggest if more checks and balances were necessary to prevent irregularities. The report of the Lok Ayukta would be placed before the House.

On the burning of records in some municipalities, Mr. Krishna said the Government had sent the necessary reference and it was possible to restructure the destroyed records.

Mr. Krishna did not make any reference to the demand for a CBI inquiry into the matter or for getting the resignation of Social Welfare Minister, A.Krishnappa, who, the Opposition alleged, had a role in the scam.

The demand was reiterated by the Opposition after the reply, but finding no response from the Chief Minister, the BJP and the Janata Dal (U) staged walkouts.

Mr. Krishnappa denied he had any role in the scam in the Krishnarajapuram and Mahadevapura municipalities in his Assembly constituency and said the allegation was only a conspiracy against him.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• CMC scam: officials to be suspended
• Meet to discuss water release for T.N.
• Ban affects mechanised sand mining
• Nefarious activities continue unabated in Makutta Range
• Concern over poor inflow into KRS
• Place Lokayukta on par with CBI: Oppn.

Copyright © 2002, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu