From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Jan 24: The State Government has promised to come out with a bill for amendment to check the indiscriminate renovations and repairs of government buildings, bungalows and offices.
A promise in this respect was made by IT/BT and Science and Technology Minister S R Patil in the State Legislative Council on Friday.
He was responding to the caustic comments made by former minister and JD(S) floor leader in the Upper House M C Nanaiah, during the discussion on the the Karnataka Legislature Salaries, Pensions, Allowances and Other Law Act, 1956.
Nanaiah said it has become a habit for ministers to demolish portions of the buildings, bungalows and offices and order renovations in the name of blind beliefs in Vaastu at huge costs to the State Exchequer and said such waste of tax-payer’s money must be curbed.
Yet another totally unacceptable practice was ordering unnecessary repairs, which was regularly being carried out, especially after change of governments, Nanaiah said.
Responding to Nanaiah’s private member bill on the subject, S R Patil, who is also the Leader of the House, said that the government too was equally concerned with indiscriminate renovation/repair of government buildings.
The minister said the issue needs to be debated at length at the state cabinet and promised to bring in a suitable amendment bill at the earliest.
Nanaiah subsequently agreed to withdraw his private member’s bill based on the promise made by Patil.
Initiating discussion on his bill. Nanaiah said till about 2009, none of the ministers had dared to demolish internal structures in Vidhana Soudha whereas several ministers had got their official bungalows renovated sometimes at a whopping cost of Rs 80 lakh.
He said ministers had no right to spend lakhs of rupees of public money on building renovation as they are there to serve the public.
Without naming Minister for Social Welfare H Anjaneya, who is getting his chambers enlarged by bringing down a partition wall in Vidhana Soudha, Nanaiah said the minister’s action and statement that ‘he only passes orders’ were the heights of audacity.
The JD(S) leader wondered how Chief Minister Siddaramaiah remained silent for the present demolition when he had criticised an earlier instance of partition wall demolition by the then political secretary o the chief minister in 2009.
The reason given by Anjaneya that he gets large number of visitors to get a bigger chamber is not justified and there are spacious meeting halls in Vidhana Soudha, Nanaiah said.