From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Sep 1: Even as the uncertainty over which political party or combination will rule the Bruhat Bengalaru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the elections for which was completed recently with BJP gaining a simple majority in the 198 member body, the Siddaramaiah regime has decided to institute a judicial inquiry to probe into alleged cases of fake bill scandal of the BBMP in road asphaltation works in the City.

The decision taken at a special meeting of the State Cabinet under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday, a week after the BBMP polls also ordered withdrawl of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) investigation into the fake bill scandal.

The investigation entrusted to the CID will now be handed over to the one-man Judicial Commission, which will look into all cases of road works

A retired judge of the Karnataka High Court would head the panel and the chairman would be assisted by one to two retired engineers, Karnataka’s Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra said.

Slow progress of CID probe led to Judicial Inquiry

Briefing reporters on the decisions taken by the State Cabinet at its meeting, the minister said the commission would conduct the probe into misappropriations of funds in the execution of road works in Gandhinagar, Malleswaram and Rajarajeshwari Nagar divisions and other 25 engineering divisions of the city.

The Rajendra Kumar Kataria report too highlighted alleged irregularities in road works in the BBMP limits.

Jayachandrasaid the slow progress of probe by the CID was the reason for setting up the judicial commission to expedite the probe into fake bill scandal occurred during 2005-06 to 2011-12.

It is alleged that BBMP engineers, contractors and officials had swindled rupees thousands of crore by producing fake bills related to road works in the city from 2005-06 to 2011-12.

Number of Drought-hit taluks goes up to 135

On account of the shortage of rainfall, the State Cabinet declared 135 taluks in 27 districts as drought-hit in the State.

The estimated crop loss has been estimated at Rs 11,000 crore.

A memorandum was submitted to the Centre seeking compensation of Rs 3050 crore.

The Chief Minister led a delegation to the Centre last week apprised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the drought situation.

"The drought is worst in the last 44 years," Jayachandra said adding: "The Cabinet sub-committee toured several districts and found "grim" situation."