As BJP prepares for foot march over 'MUDA' scam, two party leaders strike discordant note
Bengaluru, Jul 30: As the BJP prepares for a foot march over the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment scam seeking to corner the Congress government and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, two party leaders have struck a discordant note much to its discomfiture.
BJP MLAs Basangouda Patil Yatnal and Ramesh Jarkiholi have sought approval from the party's central leadership to organise a "parallel march" to put the government on the mat by highlighting the alleged financial irregularities in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Ltd.
In fact, the two legislators have been openly critical of the party state President B Y Vijayendra accusing him of indulging in "adjustment politics" and trying to keep the party in his clutches along with his father and veteran party leader B S Yediyurappa.
The opposition BJP and JD(S) have decided to hold a foot march from Bengaluru to Mysuru from August 3 to 10 in protest against the alleged fraudulent allotment of sites to land losers by MUDA, including to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi, and demanding his resignation.
ALSO READ: Karnataka police will not grant permission to BJP-JD(S) foot march: Home Minister G Parameshwara
The parallel march, sought to be spearheaded by the two BJP leaders, is proposed from Ballari to Bengaluru, with a major focus on financial irregularities in the state-run corporation, along with MUDA scam and alleged diversion of SC/ST funds by the government to its five guarantee schemes, sources said.
"Vijayendra is (organising) a protest march against the MUDA, he has to reveal whether this fight is to ensure Siddaramaiah steps down to make D K Shivakumar the Chief Minister. Vijayendra is doing the 'padayatre' (foot march) as per the orders of D K Shivakumar to make Siddaramaiah step down. There is adjustment politics in this. As a mark of gratitude to Shivakumar, Vijayendra is organising this 'padayatre'," Yatnal alleged.
The Valmiki Corporation scam is a "big one,"; the money that should have gone to the welfare of the ST community has been misused, he said. "On the other hand in the MUDA scam a Dalit's land has been taken away. So on all the issues we are fighting, our fight is against Congress' corruption, without any adjustment politics."
Yatnal further said after getting approval from the party he, Ramesh Jarkiholi and others will decide on undertaking the 'padayatre.'
Stating that their 'padayatre' will be under collective leadership, Jarkiholi said: "...(Valmiki Corporation scam) is an important issue, MUDA is personal (issue involving CM). Community (ST) funds have been completely misused (in Valmiki Corporation scam)."
"Also SC/ST funds have been used for guarantee schemes (by this government). Let the MUDA issue also be taken up, but SC/ST funds are more important and our request is that we have to fight regarding it," he said.
"We request the party to make a historic decision to bring the party out from the clutches of father and son (Yediyurappa and Vijayendra), and their blackmail," Jarkiholi said.
The illegal money transfer issue, involving the state-run corporation, came to the fore, after its accounts superintendent, Chandrasekharan P, died by suicide on May 26, leaving behind a note.
The note revealed the unauthorised transfer of Rs 187 crore belonging to the corporation from its bank account, and from that, Rs 88.62 crore was illegally moved to various accounts allegedly belonging to "well-known" IT companies and a Hyderabad-based cooperative bank among others.
Following allegations against him in connection with the scam, Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister B Nagendra tendered his resignation on June 6. He is currently under judicial custody after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate, which is probing the scam.
In the MUDA scam, it is alleged that compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife in an upmarket area in Mysuru, which had higher property value as compared to the location of her land which had been "acquired" by the MUDA.
The MUDA had allotted plots to Parvathi under a 50:50 ratio scheme in lieu of 3.16 acres of her land, where MUDA developed a residential layout.
Under the controversial scheme, MUDA allotted 50 per cent of developed land to the land losers in lieu of undeveloped land acquired from them for forming residential layouts.
BJP leaders have claimed that the MUDA "scam" is of the magnitude of Rs 4000 crore to Rs 5,000 crore.
According to some reports, not everyone in JD(S) is happy about the 'padayatre', as a few of its leaders have expressed apprehensions to the party leadership including to Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy about the possibility of BJP trying to steal limelight through this march in the old Mysuru region (south Karnataka), which has traditionally been the regional party's stronghold.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Nearly 700 km of Karnataka rivers polluted; cities, towns depend on contaminated water
Shivamogga: A total of 693.75 of river stretches across Karnataka are polluted, and water from several of these rivers is being supplied to towns and cities, the State government informed the Legislative Assembly.
According to a report published by The New Indian Express on Monday, replying to an unstarred question by Thirthahalli MLA Araga Jnanendra during the winter session in Belagavi, Forest, Environment and Biodiversity Minister Eshwar Khandre said rivers are classified into five categories, P1 to P5, based on Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) levels, with P1 being the most polluted.
He reportedly said untreated domestic wastewater from urban and rural areas is the main reason for river pollution. Arkavati, Lakshana Teertha, Tungabhadra, Bhadra, Tunga, Cauvery, Kabini, Kagina, Krishna, Shimsha, Bheema and Netravati are the polluted rivers and so far, 112 polluted drainages along these rivers have been identified.
Khandre explained that rivers are classified into five pollution categories P1 to P5. The Arkavati River has been placed in the P1 category, while no rivers fall under P2 and P3. Tungabhadra, Bhadra and Shimsha are categorised under P4, and eight other rivers fall under P5.
Khandre allegedly said domestic wastewater from municipalities, towns and villages along riverbeds is being discharged into at least 17 rivers, identified by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). This is the primary cause of river pollution.
According to the report, the minister said drinking water is being supplied from polluted rivers in districts such as Mandya, Ramanagara, Vijayapura and Shivamogga. In parts of Uttara Kannada, Ballari, Vijayanagara and Bagalkot, local bodies are also drawing water from polluted river sources.
In 2022-23, CPCB identified South Pinakini, Aghanashini, Sharavathi and Gangavali rivers too as polluted. But wrote to CPCB, stating that these rivers are not polluted and sought their removal from the list. An action plan is being prepared for the South Pinakini River, he said.
On remedial measures, Khandre reportedly said the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board is setting up sewage treatment plants as per the directions of National Green Tribunal.
As per the report, under 12 river rejuvenation plans, the state generates 817.31 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage. While 41 STPs with a capacity of 614.1 MLD are operational, 203.21 MLD of sewage remains untreated.
Work is underway to establish 19 STPs with a capacity of 248.91 MLD, while 39 more STPs with a combined capacity of 357.92 MLD are in the planning stage. Progress is being monitored and reported regularly to the NGT and the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti.
The minister reportedly said the state government gave its approval for underground drainage works worth Rs 535.56 crore in 2021 for 24 cities/towns besides Rs 523.80 crore for nine UGD projects.
