Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur (SP)

Puttur, Mar 1: Anti Corruption Bureau's (ACB) Dakshina Kannada district officials arrested Rohit, Dakshina Kannada district coordinator for Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, from Kadaba on Wednesday February 28. He has been charged with indulging in corruption.

ACB inspector, Yogeesh Kumar, and other personnel arrested A R Rohit, native of Antibettu, Aittoor in Kadaba taluk from Kadaba town. He has been accused of involvement in corruption in procurement of compost pipes.

Rohit was responsible to supply pipes to gram panchayats in Puttur and Sullia taluks. He has been accused of committing irregularities in supplying compost pipes to Kutruppady, Perabe, Koila, Aryapu and Kodimbady panchayats in this taluk, as well as Ubaradka Mittoror, Jalsoor and other villages in Sullia taluk. Reportedly he procured low cost pipes from fake companies named P G Traders and Sundru Traders and prepared bills for higher amounts for substandard pipes. It was found that P G Traders is the name of a coconut shop run by Rohit's relative, Chetan, near Subrahmanya. Chetan has also been named as accused in the complaint. The ACB police are trying to nab him.

The ACB is learnt to have sought permission from state government to prosecute presidents, secretaries, and panchayat development officers of these gram panchayats. The personnel have been now collecting details of gram panchayats to which such pipes were supplied by Rohit.

The zilla panchayat chief executive officer had, in the past, permitted to use over a crore rupees that remained unused after providing toilets to poor persons, for purchase of compost pipes. Rohit has been accused of indulging in rampant corruption in this deal.

Yogeesh Kumar was accompanied by personnel, Hariprasad, Radhakrishna, Prashanth, Ganesh and Taranath when arresting the accused.