After contractor's suicide, K'taka to set up commission to review all public works over Rs 50 crore
Shivamogga(PTI): The Karnataka government will form a three-member commission comprising a retired high court judge and two experts to clear tender proposals for all public projects worth Rs 50 crore in a bid to check malpractices in awarding contracts.
Also, the government has ordered a total ban on starting works based on oral instructions of ministers or higher officials.
These decisions are a fallout of civil contractor Santosh Patil's death by suicide on April 11 in an Udupi hotel accusing the then Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K S Eshwarappa of demanding 40 per cent commission on a public work that was carried out on the minister's oral instruction at Hindalga village in Belagavi district last year.
Eshwarappa, an MLA from Shivamogga, who had maintained that he was not at all involved in the issue, resigned from his ministerial post on April 14 due to mounting pressure on him.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said, "Our government has taken a decision. Public works start from the time of preparing estimates. Tender conditions are prepared to benefit only a section of people. I have ordered formation of a high-level committee which will have a retired high court judge as its chairperson and a financial expert and a technical expert as its members."
The commission will be formed under the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act (KTPPA).
All the tenders above Rs 50 crore will go to the commission, which will review estimates and the tender condition as per the provisions of the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act, Bommai said.
After the project is reviewed and cleared by the panel, the tender process will start, he added.
"A government order has been passed and in a few days, the commission will be set up. This will be a deterrent against corruption. The judge and members will be named in a week. Every estimate has to be cleared in 15 days," Bommai said.
He added that a provision has also been made that if there are more proposals, then a parallel commission will be constituted so that there should not be any delay in clearance of projects.
"It is true that on many occasions, oral orders are given in the Panchayat Raj bodies. After learning about this, I have directed the Urban Development department and the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj department that no work should take place on the basis of oral instructions," the Chief Minister said.
He warned that if someone carries out work based on such oral instructions then the assistant engineers, assistant executive engineers, panchayat development officer or the section officers will be held accountable. In rural areas, Bommai said panchayat development officers and executive officers will be held accountable.
"I have ordered that all the instructions should be in writing so as to have a system. This will be implemented soon," Bommai said.
To a query, Bommai also agreed with the idea of setting up committees on the lines of the commission at the district level also.
When asked about the Patil suicide case, the Chief Minister said the investigation is going on right from the RDPR department to the police department.
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Woman killed by tiger in Kerala's Wayanad; order issued to capture or kill it
Wayanad (Kerala), Jan 25 (PTI): A 47-year-old woman was killed in a tiger attack at Priyadarshini Estate at Mananthavady village in this district on Friday morning, sparking intense protests by locals in the area.
The victim, Radha, who belonged to a scheduled caste, was mauled by the tiger while she was out plucking coffee at the estate in the morning.
Later in the day, the Chief Wildlife Warden Pramod G Krishnan issued an order to "put maximum effort" to cage or tranquilise the feline in accordance with the guidelines and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, failing which to shoot it down.
"If the problematic tiger cannot be captured or tranquilised and remains dangerous to human life by turning into a man-eater, then the said tiger shall be hunted in strict adherence to the SOPs of the NTCA," the CWC said in his order.
He issued the order, saying that "there is reasonable grounds to believe that the animal in question has become dangerous to human life".
In view of the tiger being at large, the Mananthavady Sub Divisional Magistrate, Misal Sagar Bharat, issued prohibitory orders under section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) preventing all types of public gatherings in four divisions of Mananthavady municipality.
"The tiger is still roaming and has not been caught. Hence, it is essential to restrict the gathering of public in the said locality till the tiger is captured and shifted to a safe place for ensuring safety of the public," the order said.
It also advised the public to exercise caution during the night as well.
Additionally, camera traps and cages have been set up and Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) have been deployed in the area to capture or kill the tiger.
Meanwhile, the Congress has called a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Mananthavady municipality on Saturday in protest against the government's alleged failure to prevent recurring wildlife attacks in the area and ensure public safety.
The attack on the woman occurred a day after Kerala Forest Minister A K Saseendran claimed in the assembly that human-animal conflicts were declining in the state and the government was taking effective action.
Following the attack, the locals protested by not allowing the woman's body to be taken for post-mortem till the authorities ensured that the people of the area were protected and the tiger was killed or captured.
The locals staged a protest in front of O R Kelu, the Minister for the Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes, when he visited the area.
Later, the minister told reporters here that an order to kill or capture the tiger will be issued as demanded by the people of the area.
Besides that, Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) were being deployed in the area to ensure the safety of the people who go to work early in the morning.
Kelu also said that a fencing project was sanctioned for the area and he had set aside funds for it, but it could not be implemented till now as several rounds of the tendering process were not successful in finding someone to carry out the work.
He said steps would be taken to implement the project as quickly as possible.
Additionally, the issue of providing a job to the victim's family will be placed before the cabinet soon and a compensation of Rs 11 lakh will also be provided to them, he said. Kelu said that of the Rs 11 lakh, Rs 5 lakh will be given on Friday.
After the assurances given by the minister, the protestors allowed the body to be taken away for post-mortem.
Meanwhile, AICC general secretary and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra condoled the death of the woman and said there was an immediate need to find a sustainable solution to the problem of wild animal attacks.
"I am deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Radha, who was killed by a tiger while harvesting coffee in Pancharakolly, Mananthavady. My heartfelt condolences to her family. There is an immediate need for sustainable solutions to address this pressing issue," she said in a post on the social media platform 'X'.
I am deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Smt. Radha, who was killed by a tiger while harvesting coffee in Pancharakolly, Mananthavady. My heartfelt condolences to her family.
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) January 24, 2025
There is an immediate need for sustainable solutions to address this pressing issue.
