Karnataka govt dismisses BJP MLC's Rs 21,473 cr tender scam allegation
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Friday dismissed the allegation of disgruntled BJP MLC A H Vishwanath that the Irrigation Department has readied a Rs 21,473.67 crore tender in a hurry and without financial approval.
Vishwanath, who has been demanding that Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa be replaced, also accused Yediyurappa's younger son and BJP state unit vice-president B Y Vijayendra of interfering in the functioning of the government.
"The charges of Vishwanath that the tender of Rs 20,000 crore Bhadra upper canal project and Cauvery irrigation project was finalised without the consent and approval of the finance department is far from the truth," the government said in a statement.
It further said that the government gave its administrative approval following the consent given by the finance department on December 16, 2020.
The technical advisory committee of the Union Water Resource (Jal Shakti) Ministry gave the nod for Rs 16,125.48 crore on December 24, 2020.
Vishwanath earlier in the day alleged in a press conference that no financial clearance from the Finance Department had been sought, no board meeting took place and the tender was readied in a hurry.
Terming it a "scam", he alleged that the intention was to take "kickbacks" from contractors.
"Is this a contractor-oriented government?", he asked.
The BJP MLC, who had switched his loyalty from the Janata Dal-Secular to the BJP two years ago, alleged that the "entire state" including ministers,had been talking about Vijayendra's interference in the administration.
"Which minister is content today? His (Vijayendra's) interference is in all the departments," Vishwanath charged.
His attack came in the midst of a three-day visit of BJP national general secretary and Karnataka in charge Arun Singh to the state to hold discussions with MLAs in the backdrop of some legislators seeking Yediyurappa's replacement.
Singh is taking part in a meeting of the party's core committee on Friday before winding up his visit.
Vishwanath also recalled that Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K S Eshwarappa had earlier this year approached Governor Vajubhai Vala against the alleged interference by the chief minister in the affairs of his department.
The MLC said Yediyurappa had been to "jail in the past due to his family".
"Is it not true that Yediyurappa had been to jail because of his children? We are afraid that this time again he will land in jail," Vishwanath said.
After meeting Singh on Thursday, Vishwanath had demanded that the 78 year-old Yediyurappa be replaced, considering his age and alleged interference by his son.
The Chief Minister said the BJP high command would decide on the action against Vishwanath for his recent "open statements," as he rubbished as "baseless" his charges against Vijayendra of interference in the administration and "kickbacks" in an irrigation project.
Reacting to the allegations by Vishwanath on the "scam" in the Irrigation department, JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy told reporters in Kolar that "this is a government which believes in loot".
"This is not restricted only to the Irrigation department. It's a government which believes in loot. I have stopped speaking about it because in 2008 also I had raised the matter with evidence. But the case could not reach the logical end", Kumaraswamy said.
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Heavy rain, hailstorms likely to lash Uttarakhand on Tuesday; IMD issues warning
Dehradun/Pithoragarh (PTI): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for heavy rain and hailstorms across several districts of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, as temperatures remained markedly below normal in the region.
Heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places in Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar districts. Most places across all districts are expected to receive light to moderate rain or thunderstorms, while higher reaches are likely to witness snowfall, officials said on Monday.
The weather department warned of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, hail and intense spells of rain in six districts, including Dehradun and Nainital. Gusty winds with speeds reaching 40-50 kmph are also expected at isolated locations in these areas and other hilly districts.
In the state capital, Dehradun, the sky is forecast to remain partly cloudy with light rain and thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds of 30-40 kmph.
The maximum and minimum temperatures in the city are expected to hover around 31 degrees Celsius and 19 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Maximum temperatures during the past 24 hours remained markedly below normal in the hills and appreciably below normal in the plains. While no significant change in temperature is expected over the next 2-3 days, the IMD predicts a rise of 3-5 degrees Celsius during the subsequent 3-4 days.
Rainfall was recorded in several areas after 8.30 am today, with Ramnagar receiving 31.5 mm and Nainital recording 26.5 mm. Other areas, including Pithoragarh, Khatima and Champawat, also reported moderate precipitation.
Authorities have stopped a batch of 36 Adi Kailash pilgrims at the Dharchula base camp and placed the high-altitude yatra route on high alert following heavy rains and hailstorms in the district on Monday.
Dharchula SDM Ashish Joshi said the pilgrimage was halted due to adverse weather conditions. The issuance of new inner-line passes has been suspended until the weather normalises.
With 1,700 passes issued so far, pilgrims already at higher camps are being monitored for safety, the official added.
