Cong Demands Legal Action Against 700 Officials Named by Lokayukta
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Aug 14: The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee has urged the State Governemnt to take legal action against 700 officials of the State administration, including senior IAS and IPS officers, named in the Karnataka Lokayukta report on illegal mining.
Addressing the party’s programme, Congress Nadige, Janara Balige, to the completion of one year of its ‘Bellary Chalo,’ Bangalore on Sunday, Congress Opposition leader Siddaramaiah said the Government should not buy time to take action against officials, who were allegedly involved in the multi-crore mining scam in Bellary and other parts of the State.
The 900-page report complied by the team led by Lokayuta’s Chief Conservator of Forests U V Singh contains details about complicity of over 700 officials, past and present, in the illegal mining scam.
The State Congress leaders organised rallies at Hebbal, Jayanagara, Yelahanka, Padmanabhanagar, Chamarajpet and other parts of the City to inform the pubic about the misrule of the BJP Government in the State.
KPCC President Dr G Parameshwara, Union Minister for Corporate Affairs M Veerappa Moily, AICC General Secretary B K Hariprasad and party MLAs from the city and former ministers participated in rallies at different locations.
Siddaramaiah also demanded Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda to drop Minister for Housing V Somonna from the Cabinet following indictment of his sons in illegal mining.
The Lokayukta has concluded that illegal mining caused loss to the exchequer of Rs. 16,085 crore between 2006 and 2010. The Congress leader urged the Government to recover the loss from officials.
The loss caused to the exchequer would have used for construction of houses for poor families, free supply of electricity to all households and development of slums. About 3.50 lakh tonnes of iron ore was illegally exported during the Yeddyurappa government, Siddaramaih alleged.
The Congress party launched campaign against illegal mining since 2007 to safeguard the rich mineral resources of the state for future generations.
The Congress has exposed involvement of former ministers and officials in illegal mining and the Lokayukta report only confirmed it, he said.
Addressing the rally at Yelahanka, Dr Parameshwara said the Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda acted at the behest of his predecessor and inducted Somanna into the Cabinet.
He said the former Chief Minister, who took oath in the name of farmers, backstabbed the community by non-implementing several schemes.
Dr Parameshwara appealed to the people to support the Congress in the next Assembly elections to provide clean and transparent administration.