Cash-for-contract scandal hit KSDL embroiled in another scam of Rs 20 crore, reveals govt document
The cash-for-contract scam-hit Karnataka Soaps and Detergent Limited (KSDL) is embroiled in yet another alleged scam of Rs 20 crore relating to procurement of substandard raw material for its products including the Mysore Sandal Soap, reveals a government document.
The Principal Secretary of the Commerce and Industry Department wrote a letter to the Managing Director of KSDL on February 28 regarding the steps taken in connection with the 'financial irregularities of more than Rs 20 crore in the purchase of raw material soap noodles' three years ago.
Within days, the KSDL chairman and the BJP MLA from Channagiri Madal Virupakshappa's son Prashanth Kumar M V, was caught red-handed by Lokayukta officials collecting a bribe of Rs 40 lakh cash from a contractor, allegedly on behalf of his father at the KSDL office.
Further raids led to the recovery of Rs 8.23 crore cash from the house of the Madal family, huge quantity of gold and silver ornaments and large investment in land.
Prashanth is a Karnataka Administrative Services officer and is the chief accounts officer of Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board.
The scam, according to the KSDL sources, had taken place in 2020 and an investigating team was set up accordingly, show the document.
The investigation officer had found that at least four officers holding high positions in the KSDL got the government job based on a degree certificate from an unrecognised university. He had recommended action against them, the letter said.
The government directed the KSDL to furnish the action taken report on May 31, 2021. However, the state government said it 'did not receive any information on the action taken report.' The KSDL also did not tell the government about the action taken against officers against whom Lokayukta had recommended recovery of the amount, the letter added.
The KSDL Managing Director, according to the letter, did not provide information about the action taken against a general manager who was holding the senior position in the organisation based on an 'ineligible' educational qualification.
The government also said in the letter to the MD that the KSDL had entered into an agreement which allowed the Karnataka Milk Federation to utilise 1,450 sq ft of its land on its campus.
"However, the administrative officers 'colluded and allowed a private organisation to operate a hotel in 3,000 sq ft land. Regarding this case, the lawyers of the organisations are being requested to dispose of the case at the earliest," the letter read.
Regarding the case, the letter further said, "You said that the case is in progress and the next date of hearing has not been fixed yet but you did not furnish any detail to the government." The state government also took objection over not furnishing the details of the action taken even after a year.' "Immediately send a detailed report with clear documents with the action taken report to the state government," the letter said.
According to KSDL sources, it has not sent its reply to the state government.
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'Absolutely necessary': SC refuses to relax ban on firecrackers in Delhi-NCR
New Delhi, Apr 3 (PTI): The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to relax the ban imposed on the manufacture, storage and sale on firecrackers in Delhi-NCR noting that air pollution levels remained alarming for a considerable time.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan said a large section of the population worked on streets and was the worst affected by pollution.
Not everybody can afford an air purifier at their residence or place of work to fight pollution, the bench said.
"Several orders passed by this court during last six months bring on the record the horrible situation with which prevailed in Delhi due to very high levels of air pollution...Right to health is an essential part of Article 21 of the constitution so is the Right to live in a pollution free atmosphere," the court said.
Unless the court was satisfied that the pollution due to the "so-called" green crackers was bare minimum, there was no question of reconsidering the previous orders, it added.
The bench said restricting the ban on firecrackers in the Delhi-NCR region just around Diwali would be meaningless, as it could be purchased and stored in advance.
The top court said the orders passed from time to time would indicate that the directions and ban on the use of firecrackers was warranted by an "extraordinary situation" created in Delhi.
Senior Advocate Aparajita Singh, who is amicus curiae in the case, informed the bench that all four NCR states had banned firecrackers, but online sale remained an issue in some states like Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
The apex court also raised the issue of noise pollution caused by bursting of firecrackers.
The top court was hearing a batch of petitions filed by firecracker manufactures seeking relaxation of ban and permission to sell green crackers.
The court said manufacturers also have to do their duty towards environment under Article 51A of the Constitution and told them to cooperate.
"We are on whether there is any study on whether any pollution is caused by green crackers. We are appealing to all of you please don't place these applications. The ban is limited to NCR Delhi. You have the entire India open for sale of firecrackers," the bench said.
The top court had in December directed the Uttar Pradesh and Haryana governments to impose a complete ban on firecrackers until further orders.
The court had noted the Delhi government had enforced a complete ban on the manufacture, storage and sale, including delivery of firecrackers through online marketing round the year with immediate effect.
"We are of the view that this ban will be effective only when other states forming part of the NCR region impose similar measures. Even the state of Rajasthan has imposed a similar ban in that part of State of Rajasthan which falls in NCR regions. For the time being we direct the states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to impose a similar ban which is imposed by the state of Delhi," the bench had said.
Expressing serious concerns over high pollution levels in Delhi during Diwali, the apex court previously took exception to the violation of court orders and said its directives on firecrackers ban were "hardly implemented".
The apex court was hearing a plea filed by M C Mehta in 1985 seeking directions to curb air pollution in the national capital and adjoining areas.
