Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa on Tuesday alleged that former energy minister H.D. Revanna had indulged in irregularities in awarding coal purchase contract to his party leader from Tamil Nadu, causing loss to the State.
“Between October 3 to October 6, 2007, after BJP withdrew support to JD(S)-BJP coalition government, the then power minister H.D. Revanna awarded a contract to South India Corporation Ltd., owned by JD(S) Rajya Sabha MP, M.A.M. Ramaswamy for supplying eight lakh tonnes of coal by giving Rs 1,000 more per tonne,” he told the Assembly.
Though the coal could have been transported from Talcher in Orissa to Raichur by rail, Mr. Revanna permitted Mr. Ramaswamy’s firm to bring by ship up to Chennai and then to Raichur by rail, Mr. Yeddyurappa said while replying to a debate on power crisis in the State.
Mr. Yeddyurappa said there had been several irregularities in the energy department for years, including in purchase of transformers during Mr. Revanna’s regime.
“Let him (Revanna) depose whatever he wants to say before the inquiry commission constituted under chairmanship of Justice Mohan Kumar,” he said.
Rejecting Mr. Revanna’s charge against him on power shortage, he defended the letter he wrote to Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd Managing Director suggesting to honour tender agreement with Bhatia company for purchase of six lakh tonnes of imported coal, after KPC reduced it by 60,000 tonnes.
“Since I became CM, the father-sons team (JDS chief Deve Gowda, Revanna and Kumaraswamy) have been levelling charges, demanding my resignation and making attempts to topple my government,” he said.
