MUDA 'scam' an "outcome" of power struggle between CM and Deputy CM: Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy
Mandya (Karnataka), Jul 5: Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy claimed on Friday that the alleged land scam in Mysuru Urban Development Authority was an "outcome" of power struggle between the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar.
“It’s an old news. Why has it surfaced now? The MUDA scam is getting lots of publicity now. Who started it? The person who is anxious to become the next Chief Minister and is waiting to unseat Siddaramaiah has done it,” Kumaraswamy told reporters here without directly naming Shivakumar.
Responding to Kumaraswamy's charge, Shivakumar told reporters in Bengaluru: "Some people don't get sleep and their brain don't work without remembering me."
The Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries, who is also the JD(S) second-in-command, said the "news" got prominence only to bring a "bad name" to the Chief Minister so that he can be removed from his post.
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“This is a conspiracy within the Congress to unseat the Chief Minister by hiring a team of lawyers and extracting documents from MUDA,” Kumaraswamy alleged. “This is an attempt to trap the Chief Minister.”
The BJP has alleged irregularities in allotment of alternative sites to land losers, including Chief Minister's wife Parvathi, by MUDA.
Denying any wrongdoing, the Chief Minister had said the plots were given to his wife by MUDA in 2021 when BJP was in power.
Reacting to this, Kumaraswamy, a former Chief Minister, sought to know what the ruling Congress has been doing for the past one year after coming to power.
“Why didn’t you take action when a file pertaining to the irregularities in MUDA came before you (Siddaramaiah)? Why were you silent then? What inspired you to take action now?” the Mandya MP asked.
The Chief Minister said earlier this week housing sites allotted by MUDA under the 50:50 scheme to land losers have been put on hold pending an investigation into the alleged irregularities.
The BJP has alleged that irregularities to the tune of Rs 4,000 crore had taken place in distribution of sites to land losers by MUDA.
"Apparently 4,500-5,000 sites were allotted by flouting norms," a BJP leader claimed.
The BJP has alleged that alternative sites were allotted to Parvathi 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, and sought his resignation.
The MUDA had allotted plots to Parvathi under the scheme in lieu of over three acres of her land, where MUDA developed a residential layout.
The controversial scheme envisages allotting 50 per cent of developed land to the land loser in lieu of undeveloped land acquired for forming layouts.
Mysuru is the home district of Siddaramaiah.
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'Low-quality' catheters supplied to West Bengal govt hospitals at high price, probe ordered
Kolkata (PTI): The West Bengal health department has launched a probe into the supplies of allegedly low-quality and locally made catheters at a high price to several government hospitals, posing a risk to the lives of patients undergoing treatment in these facilities, officials said.
Such central venous catheters (CVCs) were allegedly supplied to at least five medical colleges and hospitals in the state, defying allocation of international standard-compliant CVCs, they said.
The distribution company, which has been accused of supplying these catheters to government hospitals, admitted to the fault but placed the blame on its employees.
"We started checking stocks some time back and found these locally made CVCs in my hospital store. These catheters are of low quality as compared to those allocated by the state. We have informed the state health department," a senior official of the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital told PTI.
Low-quality catheters were also found in the stores of other hospitals, which indicates "possible involvement of insiders in the scam", a health department official said.
The low-quality CVCs were supplied by a distributor in the Hatibagan area in the northern part of Kolkata for the last three to four months, he said.
"Such kinds of local CVCs are priced around Rs 1,500 but the distributor took Rs 4,177 for each device," the official said.
A CVC is a thin and flexible tube that is inserted into a vein to allow for the administration of fluids, blood, and other treatment. It's also clinically called a central line catheter.
"An initial probe revealed that the distribution company Prakash Surgical had supplied the low-quality and locally manufactured catheters to several government hospitals instead of the CVCs of the government-designated international company.
"All the units will be tested and a proper investigation is on to find out who benefited from these supplies," the health department official said.
The distribution company blamed its employees for the supply of inferior quality catheters.
"I was sick for a few months. Some employees of the organisation made this mistake. We are taking back all those units that have gone to the hospitals. It's all about misunderstanding," an official of the distribution company told PTI.
According to another state health department official, a complaint was lodged with the police in this connection.
Asked about how many patients were affected by the usage of such low-quality CVCs, the official said, "The probe would also try to find that out".
According to sources in the health department, some of the staff of the hospitals' equipment receiving departments and some local officials of international organisations might be involved in the alleged irregularities.
