Bangalore: 'Guilty in Illegal Mining Go Unpunished, Nor Losses Recovered'
From Our Special Correspondent
Dajiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Feb 2: The opposition Congress lambasted the State Government for not taking any steps to punish the guilty nor recover the losses from those who indulged in illegal mining in the Karnataka.
Opposition Congress leader in the Assembly Siddaramaiah, who sought to move an adjournment motion on the issue in the house, in his preliminary submissions alleged that the Government has not implemented the recommendations made in the Lokayukta report on illegal mining.
The Government has not recovered huge losses to the State exchequer due to its inaction on the Lokayukta report, he said.
“There seems to be no urgency on the part of the Government to take action. To protect some people, the Government is adopting delaying tactics,” he said pointing out the Government was afraid to discus the issues related to mining.
Siddaramaiah sought to highlight the former Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde’s interim report on illegal mining in December 2008 and the second and final one in July last year.
The Lokayukta report had estimated the total loss to the state exchequer between 2006-07 and 2010-11 due to illegal mining at Rs 16,085 crore, the Congress leader said.
Justice Hegde himself had stated that the Government has not taken concrete action on the first report. In fact, illegal mining activities had increased after its submission, Siddaramaiah said.
Former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa had to resign from the post of the Chief Minister following the Lokayukta report, while the former Minister G Janardhana Reddy is still in a jail, he said.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister S Suresh Kumar argued that the matter cannot be taken up as an adjournment motion on the ground that it was not of recent occurrence. But he said the government was ready for a discussion under a different rule, following which Speaker K G Bopaiah gave the ruling to that effect.
The debate on the issue would continue on Monday under the rule 69 of the House, the speaker said.