Lokayukta police quiz ex-MUDA Commissioner
Mysuru (PTI): The Lokayukta police probing the MUDA site allotment case on Thursday quizzed its former Commissioner P S Kantharaju, Lokayukta sources said.
Kantharaju was the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) Commissioner for over two years, from September 2017 to November 2019.
Speaking to reporters after coming out from the Lokayukta police office here, the former MUDA Commissioner said he presented all the points pertaining to the issue to the Investigation Officer (IO).
"Back in 2017, it was decided in the Board meeting to return an equal amount of undeveloped land to the land loser. We presented the matter before the MUDA board meeting in December 2017. The issue was related to a consolidated decision of MUDA. The IO asked me about the decision taken on this issue, which I explained," Kantharaju said.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathi B M, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy and others are accused in the case.
In the MUDA case, 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 allegedly being acquired ‘illegally’ 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 it 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.
It is alleged that Parvathi had no legal title over this 3.16 acres of land at survey number 464 of Kasare village, Kasaba hobli of Mysuru taluk.
Karnataka Lokayukta police and the Directorate of Enforcement have launched an investigation into the 'scam'.
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Swamiji fires gun into the air in Kalaburagi village, video goes viral
Kalaburagi: An incident involving a swamiji firing a gun into the air has been reported from Udachan village in Afzalpur taluk of Kalaburagi district. The act, captured on video, has since gone viral on social media.
The swamiji has been identified as Sri Shantalinga Shivacharya, pontiff of the Hiremath of Sri Shankaralingeshwara Samsthana. According to reports, the incident took place on Sunday evening within the premises of the math, where the swamiji allegedly fired a single-barrel gun into the air.
This is not the first time the swami has courted controversy. Last year, he was reportedly found driving erratically under the influence of alcohol in Salotagi village of neighbouring Indi taluk, following which members of the public confronted him. He later fled from the math, sources said.
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More recently, during the annual fair of the Sri Shankaralingeshwara Math in Udachan village, the swami had arrived at the village with police protection, claiming to be the rightful pontiff of the math. Despite opposition from villagers, he reportedly went ahead and conducted rituals related to the fair.
The latest incident of firing the gun into the air has triggered criticism, especially after the video surfaced online. Further action, if any, is awaited from the authorities.
