Karnataka Covid-19 scam: Panel recommends recovery of Rs 187.91 crore from government entities
Bengaluru: The Justice John Michael D'Cunha Commission, appointed to investigate alleged irregularities in Karnataka's Covid-19 procurement, has recommended the recovery of Rs 187.91 crore from three government entities and the initiation of criminal proceedings against several officials for lapses. Notices were issued to the National Health Mission (NHM) mission director, the director and chief engineer of the Health and Family Welfare Department, and the Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation (KSMSCL) managing director for explanations regarding discrepancies, including 16 missing files and irregularities in civil works for 50 oxygen generation plants.
The report, based on four Covid-19 procurement investigation reports handed over to the Health Department, highlights a total expenditure of Rs 5,124 crore by the NHM, Health and Family Welfare Department, and KSMSCL during the pandemic, of which Rs 187.91 crore requires recovery. The commission recommended inquiries or criminal proceedings in 85 cases, citing violations of the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (KTPP) Act and other lapses.
Notices were also prepared for 456 suppliers due to contractual breaches, delays, quality concerns, and financial discrepancies. The department has proposed forming a team of seven officials, including a senior KAS officer, to handle action based on the commission’s findings, which includes setting up a separate office to frame charges, issue notices, record objections, and oversee the recovery process.
The report criticises the NHM mission director’s decision to outsource testing to private labs, calling it arbitrary, non-transparent, and designed to favour certain labs over fair competition. The NHM office retained Rs 3 crore from the Emergency Covid Response Package (ECRP) funds, with a portion allocated to private labs without the necessary technical capacity assessments. Payments totalling Rs 4.28 crore were reportedly made to labs for RT-PCR testing without administrative approval, in violation of the government’s temporary regulations prohibiting private labs from Covid-19 testing.
The commission's findings are now under review for further action by the Karnataka Health Department.
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Three killed as fire destroys huts in Thane district
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Thane (PTI): Three persons were killed in a major fire that broke out in a slum cluster in Thane district of Maharashtra, triggering the explosion of multiple LPG cylinders, a civic official said on Saturday.
The blaze erupted at around 8.30 PM on Friday in the Navghar area of Mira Bhayander at Indralok slum colony, Chief Fire Officer of Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC) Prakash Borade told PTI.
Flames were visible from a long distance as the fire quickly spread through the densely packed cluster of temporary huts made of thatch and cloth, he said.
Around 30 to 35 huts were gutted in the incident. Several gas cylinders exploded during the blaze. Fire personnel managed to remove as many as 24 cylinders from the site, some of them filled and others empty, the official said.
Firefighters battled the blaze for nearly an hour before bringing it under control, Borade said.
The three deceased were charred beyond recognition, and their bodies have been sent to a government hospital for postmortem, he added.
The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
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