Bangalore: 19 lac toilets constructed by BJP govt gone 'missing'

Narayana Swamy
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Oct 11: In a stunning claim, rural development and Panchayat Raj minister H K Patil has told the media that out of the 44 lac toilets supposedly built in the rural areas of Karnataka during the previous BJP regime, 19 lac toilets have gone 'missing' !

"There were huge irregularities in the previous BJP government. The central government had released Rs 3,500 crore under the rural employment scheme, but it was not used effectively; instead, a portion of the money was returned without utilising. Also, according to the available documents, 44 lac toilets were supposedly built by the previous government in rural areas, but only 25 lac toilets are on record. That means 19 lac toilets are missing," minister HK Patil he said.

"This proves that toilets were 'built' only for the sake of record, in reality, no toilets were built as claimed. Soon we will order an enquiry into this scam," he said.

"After I took over the ministry, we planned to build 6 lac toilets for the poor. Work on 1.4 lac toilets is already completed, and rest of the work will be completed by December this year," he announced.

"We have taken this initiative under the guidance of union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh. Under this scheme, Rs 9,200 will be borne by the state government, and Rs 800 will be born by the beneficiary. There are complaints that this fund is not enough. I have discussed this matter with the CM, and soon the government grant for toilet construction will be increased," said the minister.