Daijiworld Media Network - Chikkamagaluru (SP)

Chikkamagaluru, Mar 1: Executive engineer of public works department (PWD), assistant executive engineer and five other employees of the department were taken into custody by the police on Tuesday February 27 because of their role in facilitating illegal sand trade by misusing powers and issuing fake permits.

Speaking to media persons here on Wednesday February 28, district superintendent of police, K Annamalai gave information that these officials had without authorization, issued sand permits which were meant for use in this district, in coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi "Four thousand mineral dispatch permits (MDP) were misused by the PWD officials here. In this connection, cases have been registered in Kaup and Byndoor stations in Udupi district and Beltangady police station in Dakshina Kannada district," he explained.

The SP pointed out that as per the rate fixed by the government, each of the sand transportation permits cost Rs 10,000 but the same can be traded for up to Rs 35,000 per permit in black market. He said that as per this calculation, the amount of fraud through fake permits issued by these officials amounts to Rs 12 to 15 crore.

"After we got information, we conducted searches in mines and geology department as well as PWD. We found that 4,000 MDPs were misused. We took into possession seven persons and certain files, and handed them over to Udupi police for further investigation," he stated.

Annamalai said that the permits were printed by the government and supplied to mines and geology department, and this department hands over the permits to PWD. They are then issued to needy persons for sand transportation as per norms. 4,000 permits which were kept in PWD store were sold through a contractor named Akshay for facilitating sand transportation in Udupi district, he added.

The SP stated that in July, 2016, Beltangady police had come across permit issued in Chikkamagaluru district in the possession of a sand truck during their verification. After the police registered a case and made enquiries at the PWD here, the staff made preparations to create certain documents to escape from action, he narrated.

"Executive engineer of PWD here, Paramesharayya, had filed complaint in the town police station here about the permits going missing from his department, a few days back. The police had then given endorsement that the it was evident that his dereliction of duty had caused this lapse, and sought his cooperation in the investigation. Some employees of PWD and the contractor concerned have been taken into custody on the basis of suspicion and handed them over to Udupi police. As the case pertains to this district, we will ask Udupi police to transfer cases to this district. Dereliction of duty on the part of PWD officials has been observed and recommendation would be made to the deputy commissioner of the district to hold departmental inquiry," he said.