Lokayukta raids in K'taka uncover Rs 22.5 crore in disproportionate assets of eight govt officers
Bengaluru: Lokayukta searches on the premises of eight government officers across the state on reportedly found disproportionate assets worth a staggering Rs 22.5 crore. The simultaneous raids were conducted at the residences, offices, and residences of the relatives of the eight government officers in more than 37 places across seven districts.
The highest-value assets were found with Prakash V, a retired Divisional Mechanical Engineer from KSRTC, Ramanagara, as reported by Deccan Herald on Wednesday. Officials found that Prakash owned eight plots, six houses and six acres of agricultural land valued at Rs 3.97 crore. His movable assets, including Rs 15 lakh in cash, were valued at Rs 28.17 lakh, the Lokayukta said in a statement.
During the searches at four places linked to Kashinath Buddappa Bhajantri, Assistant Engineer, Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation, Hirekerur, officials found that the suspected government official disposed around Rs 9 lakh in cash, out of the washroom window, which was later recovered. Officials found that Bhajantri possessed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income to the tune of Rs 3.20 crore, the report added.
The others raided were Vittal Shivappa Dhavaleshwar, Village Administrative Officer, Revenue Department, Nippani Taluk, Belagavi (total assets: Rs 1.08 crore); Venkatesh S. Majumdar, Assistant Commissioner of Commercial Taxes, Commercial Tax Department, Bengaluru (Rs 2.21 crore); Kamal Raj, Assistant Director, Commerce and Industrial Department, District Industrial Centre, Industrial Area, Davangere (Rs 1.99 crore); Raveendra Kumar, Deputy Director (Deputy Tahsildar), Training Centre, Bidar (Rs 4.22 crore); Nagesh D, Public Relations Officer, Mysuru City Corporation (Rs 2.72 crore), and Govindappa Hanumanthappa Bhajantri, Assistant Secretary, KIADB, Dharwad (Rs 2.79 crore).
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Karnataka cabinet approves formation of separate Dharwad Municipal Corporation
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Cabinet has approved a formation of separate Dharwad city corporation. Alongside, a 15% hike in fares across the four state transport corporations was also approved. The revised fares will come into effect on January 5.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil, addressing the media at the Committee Hall of Vidhana Soudha, provided details about the decision. He explained that the last fare revision for BMTC was a decade ago when diesel cost Rs 60.98 per litre. Since then, operational costs have risen significantly.
Diesel expenditure for the four corporations has increased from Rs 9.16 crore to Rs 13.21 crore, and personnel costs have grown from Rs 12.85 crore to Rs 18.36 crore. The daily operational burden now stands at Rs 9.56 crore. The fare hike is expected to generate an additional Rs 74.85 crore in monthly revenue without burdening the state exchequer, as Rs 5,015 crore has already been allocated for the Shakti Yojana this fiscal year.
Minister Patil announced that the Cabinet has decided to bifurcate the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation into two independent municipal bodies.
The Cabinet approved the construction of a fishing port in Hejamady village, Udupi, with a revised estimate of Rs 209.13 crore. Additionally, Rs 84.57 crore has been sanctioned for the modernization and dredging of fishing ports.
In a move to strengthen cow shelters, Rs 10.50 crore has been allocated for projects in 14 districts. The Cabinet also approved constructing a building for Visvesvaraya Technical University in Chikkaballapur district at Rs 149.75 crore.
The Cabinet sanctioned a state-of-the-art bus stand in Bannimantap, Mysuru, at a cost of Rs 120 crore. Spread over 14 acres, the facility will include a divisional office, bus units, and commercial shops.
Approval was also granted to utilize Rs 137.85 crore, provided by the Union Finance Ministry under the Special Capital Assistance Scheme, for capital expenditure.
The Kalyana Karnataka Regional Development Board will use Rs 56.92 crore from its SCP/TSP scheme to supply bed sheets, mosquito nets, and clothing to government residential schools and hostels.
The Cabinet approved Rs 100 crore to construct new buildings for 200 veterinary institutions currently housed in rented or dilapidated structures, using NABARD assistance.
In Davangere, a site was allotted to the Karnataka Working Journalists' Association for constructing a civic facility. A plot in Avaragere village was also leased for 30 years at a concessional rate to Nayaka Vidyarthi Nilaya.
